Baltic Export, Baltic States – CIS, Employment, Latvia, Markets and Companies, Textile

"The textiles industry is in a very serious standby mode at the moment," said Kronbergs.

Small textile companies that fully depend on their exports to Russian market were affected already in the latter half of 2014. Now it is the large companies, too, that are beginning to feel the impact of the Russian crisis. They are not laying workers off, but workloads are decreasing and workers are being told to take vacation, said Kronbergs.

"That is not a bad solution. The large companies, if they have to cut output, can count on their workers when demand rises again," explained Kronbergs. The fact that there are no massive layoffs proves that companies are finding a way to solve their problems.

"I do not have the exact data, but according to approximate estimates, over 500 workers are on annual leave," said Kronbergs.

The larger textile companies – Lauma Fabrics, Lauma Lingerie, V.O.V.A – also market their products in other countries, therefore the crisis in Russia is having a less serious impact on them. The small companies, however, are going through hard times.

According to Liepaja branch of the State Employment Agency, 125 seamstresses registered with the agency from last June to February 5 this year. As of February 16, there were 4,312 unemployed persons in Liepaja, and the unemployment rate was at 12.9%.

There are seventy to eighty textile companies in Liepaja, but the majority of them are small companies, said Kronbergs. A year ago, more than 3,000 people were employed in Liepaja textiles industry.