Agriculture, Labour-market, Latvia, Markets and Companies

It is increasingly harder for farmers to hire seasonal workers as they are in great demand in not only Latvia, but also, for instance, in Germany and Netherlands, where they can also earn higher wages, said Treibergs.

Students and teachers, some of which work on farms during summer to earn some money on the side, is not an option. According to farmers, these people usually work for just a few days, then they quit. In the meantime, farmers need workers to do hard physical work for two months, said Treibergs.

Treibergs also disapproves of Latvian politicians' eagerness to protect local labor market and opposition to guest workers. Bringing seasonal workers to Latvia is nothing dangerous. The entire process is controlled, and all the applicable social contributions for guest workers are paid.

Treibergs believes that the situation will become worse yet in the future, and the pending territorial reform will not make things any better.