At the end of Q1, there were 21.5 thousand job vacancies in Latvia, up by 2.6 thousand vacancies or by 14% YoY. In private sector there were 14.1 thousand and in public sector 7.4 thousand job vacancies.
Over the year, the number of job vacancies in private sector increased by 3.2 thousand or by 28.7%, while in public sector – reduced by 0.5 thousand or by 6.6%, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.
Compared to Q4 2020, the number of job vacancies rose by 24.6% or by 4.2 thousand. In private sector it increased by 43.2% or by 4.3 thousand, but in public sector it remained the same – 7.4 thousand.
Starting with Q1, State Revenue Service data are used for the calculation of the number of occupied posts, in the result, compared to Q1 2020, in Q1 this year the number of occupied posts rose to 914 thousand or by 1.4%.
The highest share of job vacancies was recorded among craft and related trades workers, as well as among technicians and associate professionals (3.6%) and elementary occupations (3.4%).
In Q1, the most significant rise was observed in demand for elementary occupations, clerical support workers (office workers) and plant and machine operators and assemblers. In turn, a drop was observed in demand for skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers, professionals, as well as for craft and related trades workers.
The highest share of job vacancies was recorded in mining and quarrying (5.8%), public administration (5.2%), construction (4.2%), manufacturing (3.3%), as well as health and social care (2.8%).
In Q1, the greatest share of job vacancies was observed in Riga region – 2.6% of all jobs within the region or 13.2 thousand, whereas the lowest – in Zemgale and Latgale regions – 1.8% or 1.3 thousand in each.
Among all Baltic countries, in Q1 the highest share of job vacancies (2.3%) was registered in Latvia followed by Lithuania (1.6%), but in Estonia it was the lowest (1.5%).
At the end of Q1, compared to the end of Q1 last year, the largest rise in the number of job vacancies was observed in Lithuania (+39.8%), followed by Latvia (+14%) and Estonia (+9.6%). (BNN/Business World Magazine)