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In the 1^st quarter of 2018, 80.0 thousand persons aged 15–74 in Latvia were unemployed, which is 11.3 thousand less than a year ago and 0.3 thousand more than in the previous quarter.

Since the 3^rd quarter of 2008, Latvian unemployment rate exceeds the European Union (EU) average (except for the 1^st quarter of 2015 when both indicators were equal). In the 4^th quarter of 2017, Latvian unemployment rate (constituting 8.1%) exceeded the EU average (7.3%) by 0.8 percentage points. In the 1^st quarter, Latvia still had the highest unemployment rate in the Baltic states (6.8% in Estonia and 7.2% in Lithuania).

Eurostat database, data on the 1^st quarter of 2018 –  Labour Force Surveys of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Long-term unemployed persons

In the 1^st quarter of 2018, the share of long-term unemployed persons, i.e., those who have been without work for 12 months or longer, in the total number of unemployed persons grew –from 38.4% in the 1^st quarter of 2017 to 41.7% in the 1^st quarter of 2018.  Over the year, the number of long-term unemployed persons reduced by 2.2 thousand, and in the 1^st quarter of 2018 it constituted 32.8 thousand.

Youth unemployment

In the 1^st quarter of 2018, youth unemployment rate constituted 14.7%, which is 2.6 percentage points lower than a year ago and 1.8 percentage points lower than in the 4^th quarter of 2017. During the year, the number of young unemployed persons fell by 2.3 thousand, whereas compared to the 4^th quarter of 2017 – by 1.1 thousand.

In the 1^st quarter of 2018, 9.5 thousand or 11.8% of all unemployed persons were young people aged 15–24. Over the year, their share in the total number of unemployed persons fell by 1.1 percentage points, whereas compared to the 4^th quarter of 2017 by 1.5 percentage points.

In the 1^st quarter of 2018, 37.1% of all young people were active, i.e., employed or actively seeking a job (unemployed), while 62.9% of young people were inactive (mainly studying and not seeking a job).

Inactive population

In the 1^st quarter of 2018, 30.8% or 435.6 thousand people aged 15–74 (incl.) were inactive. i.e., were neither employed nor actively seeking a job. Compared to the 4^th quarter of 2017, inactive population grew by 1.4 thousand people or 0.3%, whereas over the year it fell by 22.6 thousand people or 4.9%.

In the 1^st quarter of 2018, 13.3 thousand people or 3.1% of the inactive population were discouraged to find a job (compared to 4.4% in the 1^st quarter of 2017 and 3.7% in the 4^th quarter of 2017).

In the 1^st quarter of 2018, Labour Force Survey covered 4.1 thousand households, in which 7.4 thousand people aged 15–74 were interviewed.

Results of the Labour Force Survey are published in the CSB database section Employment and Unemployment.