Analytics, Labour-market, Latvia, Statistics

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 16:49

The number of job vacancies in Latvia keeps increasing

Lija Luste Wages Statistics Section, 20.06.2017.Print version
he data acquired by surveying enterprises and institutions and compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show thatat the end of the 1st quarter of 2017 there were 15.7 thousand job vacancies in the country, and the indicator has risen by 1.9 thousand or 13.6%, as compared to the 1st quarter of 2016, and by 1.3 thousand or 8.7%, compared to the end of 201

The number of job vacancies and the share thereof in the total number of posts (vacant and occupied) has grown gradually since 2010. In the 1st quarter of 2017, the job vacancy rate reached 1.8%, which is slightly less than the European Union average indicator – 1.9%. Job vacancy rate in Lithuania constituted 1.6% and in Estonia 2.0%.


In the 1st quarter of 2017, there were 5.8 thousand job vacancies in the public sector – 2.0% of all jobs in this sector, and in private sector the indicators constituted 9.9 thousand and 1.6%, respectively.


Changes in job vacancy rate and unemployment rate in 20082017


During the year, the number of occupied posts rose by 4.6 thousand or 0.% – from 875.6 thousand at the end of the 1st quarter of 2016 to 880.2 thousand at the end of the 1st quarter of this year. Compared to the end of 2016, the number of occupied jobs decreased by 4.1 thousand or 0.5%. In the 1st quarter of 2017, out of the total occupied posts, 591.5 thousand or 67.2% were occupied in private sector, and the share thereof in the total number of occupied posts in the country grew slightly over the year – by 0.1 percentage points.


Occupied posts and job vacancies by sector


 

End of Q1 2016

 

End of 2016

 

End of Q1 2017

Changes of Q1 2017

as % of

End of Q1 2016

End of 2016

Total in the country

 

 

 

 

 

   Number of occupied posts, thsd

875.6

884.4

880.2

0.5

-0.5

   Number of job vacancies, thsd

13.8

14.4

15.7

13.6

8.7

   Job vacancy rate, %

1.6

1.6

1.8

 

 

 of which:

 

 

 

 

 

  Private sector

 

 

 

 

 

   Number of occupied posts, thsd

587.1

595.6

591.5

0.8

-0.7

   Number of job vacancies, thsd

9.0

8.8

9.9

9.7

12.5

   Job vacancy rate, %

1.5

1.5

1.6

 

 

  Public sector

 

 

 

 

 

   Number of occupied posts, thsd

288.5

288.8

288.7

0.1

0.0

   Number of job vacancies, thsd

4.8

5.6

5.8

21.0

2.8

   Job vacancy rate, %

1.6

1.9

2.0

 

 

 

In the 1st quarter of 2017, just like a year ago, the highest number of job vacancies was recorded in occupational groups of technicians and associate professionals, service and sales workers, professionals, craft and related trades workers. Compared to the 1st quarter of the previous year, among the mentioned occupation groups, the highest rise in the job vacancy number was observed amongst service and sales workers (of 15.6%) and professionals (15.1%).


Over the year, the sharpest increase in the number of job vacancies among other occupational groups was recorded in the group of plant and machine operators and assemblers. Whereas smaller job vacancy number in the 1st quarter of this year, as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, was available to skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers and clerical support workers.


At the end of the 1st quarter of 2017, the highest job vacancy rate was registered in public administration (4.7%), accommodation and food service activities (2.4%), water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, construction, financial and insurance activities (2.2% in each), human health and social work activities (2.1%), manufacturing, and energy sector (2.0% in each).


In the 1st quarter of 2017, the highest job vacancy rate among Latvia regions was observed in Riga (2.1% or 10.5 thousand), whereas the lowest in Vidzeme (1.0% or 0.6 thousand). High increase in the job vacancy number was recorded in Vidzeme, Latgale and Zemgale region.


Changes in number of job vacancies by major occupational group; 1st quarter of 2016 and 2017


Compared to the 1st quarter of 2016, in the 1st quarter of 2017 the sharpest increase in the number of occupied posts was registered in information and communication (from 29.5 thousand to 31.7 thousand or by 7.5%) and construction (from 50.4 thousand to 52.0 thousand or 3.2%), human health and social work activities (from 64.0 thousand to 65.4 thousand or by 2.1%), water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (from 7.6 thousand to 7.7 thousand or by 2.1%), as well as administrative and support service activities (from 36.4 thousand to 37.1 thousand or by 1.9%).


Over the year, decline in the number of occupied posts within the limits of 0.2–0.9% was recorded in several sectors: education, accommodation and food service activities, real estate activities, energy sector, financial and insurance activities, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade. The sharpest drop was observed in other service activities (this sector includes activities of public and other organisations; repair of computers and personal and household goods; washing and (dry-)cleaning; hairdressing and other beauty treatment; funeral and related activities, etc.) – of 5.5%.


Job vacancies and occupied posts by main kind of economic activity


 

End of Q1 2016

End of Q1 2017

Job vacancies, thsd

Occupied posts, thsd

Job vacancy rate, %

Job vacancies, thsd

Occupied posts, thsd

Job vacancy rate, %

Total

13.8

875.6

1.6

15.7

880.2

1.8

Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)

0.2

20.4

1.1

0.3

20.7

1.2

Mining and quarrying (B)

0.1

2.3

2.8

0.0

2.3

0.8

Manufacturing (C)

2.2

111.3

1.9

2.3

110.4

2.0

Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (D)

0.1

13.6

1.0

0.3

13.5

2.0

Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (E)

0.1

7.6

1.7

0.2

7.7

2.2

Construction (F)

1.0

50.4

2.0

1.2

52.0

2.2

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G)

2.2

145.7

1.5

1.9

144.4

1.3

Transportation and storage (H)

0.9

76.2

1.1

1.4

76.5

1.8

Accommodation and food service activities (I)

0.9

31.3

2.7

0.8

31.1

2.4

Information and communication (J)

0.5

29.5

1.8

0.6

31.7

1.7

Financial and insurance activities (K)

0.4

18.4

2.2

0.4

18.3

2.2

Real estate activities (L)

0.0

27.3

0.2

0.3

27.1

1.1

Professional, scientific and technical activities (M)

0.1

40.4

0.3

0.3

40.9

0.6

Administrative and support service activities (N)

0.5

36.4

1.3

0.5

37.1

1.3

Public administration and defence, compulsory social security (O)

2.5

61.8

3.8

3.1

62.7

4.7

Education (P)

0.6

99.6

0.5

0.6

99.4

0.6

Health and social work (Q)

1.2

64.0

1.9

1.4

65.4

2.1

Arts, entertainment and recreation (R)

0.2

24.6

0.7

0.2

24.9

0.9

Other service activities (S)

0.1

14.7

0.8

0.1

13.9

0.7

 

More information on occupied posts and job vacancies in Latvia is available in the CSB website section  Occupied Posts and Job Vacancies, Paid Working Hours –

Key Indicators. Statistics on occupied posts and job vacancies in the 1st quarter of 2017 is published in the database section Occupied Posts and Job Vacancies, Paid Working Hours (Short term statistical data and Annual statistical data).

The CSB informs that at the end of 2015 process used to collect information on the job vacancies was improved, thus resulting in break in the time series. To ensure data comparability, the time series until the 4th quarter of 2015 were re-calculated at the level of letters (Sections) of the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE) Rev. 2. Recalculations of the data at 2-digit level as well as in breakdown by sector, regions and major occupational group were not performed, and the data on the period before the 1st quarter of 2016 are not comparable.






Search site