As part of the state administration reform, job cuts are planned for 58,000 employees of different institutions. This does not apply to independent institutions such as the prosecutor’s office, Saeima, State Audit and Supreme Court.
The number of officials employed in Latvian state administration is higher than the average in the EU, as concluded in State Chancellery’s prepared reform plan for State Administration in 2020.
The State Chancellery states that the total number of people employed in the government sector in Latvia is 226,600. 52% of those people are employed in municipal administrations and different institutions, 10% are employees of state capital associations, and 6% are employees of municipal businesses. A quarter of those people also work in state budget institutions.
“Before we consider laying off people, we have to understand that most of them perform work in areas like internal and external security, vocational education, emergency medical assistance and social care. Only 11,700 of them can be classified as classic officials,” states the State Chancellery.
State Chancellery’s developed administration reform plan provides for reducing the number of officials in state administration by 6% within the next three years. It is also planned to increase wages, as explained by State Chancellery’s Director Janis Citskovskis.
The reform plan provides for the liquidation of most vacant jobs, freeze the creation of new jobs, as well as reduce the number of employees in the state administration by approximately 6% in the next three years.
Citskovskis explains that it will not be a mechanical cutting of jobs, but rather a change in the way state administration works and provides services to residents.
The reform also provides raising wages for people employed in state administration to 80% of what is paid in the private sector. (BNN/Business World Magazine)