Analytics, Education and Science, Employment, Financial Services, Latvia, Wages

Graduates with Bachelor's degree or college diploma in natural sciences, mathematics, IT, engineering, manufacturing and construction reported the highest income - starting from EUR 13,344 a year.

The ministry said that college-level graduates reported EUR 13,037 in income a year, slightly higher that graduates with Bachelor's degree - EUR 12,863.

"It means that if a young person decides to study in a college program with demand in the job market, he or she is able to successfully compete in the job market already in two or three years, and also continue studies," said the ministry's representative Dace Jansone.

Ilona Kiukucane, the deputy general director of the Latvian Employers Confederation, confirmed that the monitoring data indirectly proves that most popular educational institutions and programs earlier named by employers - the Riga Technical University and the computer science program at the University of Latvia.

Education and Science Minister Ilga Suplinska (New Conservative Party) said that the monitoring data suggest that graduates of medicine and border guards colleges are 100 percent employed in the job market. In her opinion, this means that the job market demand and successful cooperation with the next level education institutions will allow young people to be financially independence and pursue their knowledge and career.

The monitoring data on graduates of 2017 show that employment of college and Bachelor's level graduates is high - about 85 percent of Bachelor's level graduates and 87.4 percent of college level graduates are employed.

At the same time, every third Bachelor's level graduate is working and studying at the same time.