An increasing number of Lithuanian emigrants are considering going back, according to a poll carried out by the Employment Service (UzT) in May 2023, LRT reports. The survey showed that 55.1% of respondents would like to return to Lithuania, which is 14.6 percentage points higher than in 2020. The majority of those who wish to…
Latvia has currently around 50,000 unemployed people, which is an all-time low, according to data from the State Employment Agency (NVA), LETA reports. The country’s unemployment rate now stands at 5.6%, which is down from 6.3% in the beginning of 2023. Evita Simsone, director of NVA, noted that the small number of unemployed created problems…
The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) has approved 20 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects to the tune of EUR 371.5mn so far in 2023, LSM reports. The projects will create 1,160 new jobs. The investment projects are in sectors such as bioeconomy, ICT, photonics and smart materials, smart energy and mobility, as well…
Latvia’s actual unemployment rate stood at 5.6% in June 2023, which was down 1.0 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s labour force survey, LSM reports. Compared to May 2023, the actual unemployment rate remained unchanged. The unemployment rate among men dropped by 0.1 percentage point over a year to…
Estonia’s economic climate index stood at -19.4 points in June 2023, which was down by almost 9 points from March 2023, according to the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI), ERR reports. The economic confidence index, which combines both business and consumer sentiment, stood at 78.7 points, which was significantly worse than the long-term average….
Vegetable production in Estonia is declining due to a shortage of farm workers, ERR reports. As a result, imports and consumer prices of vegetables are rising. In 2019, Estonian farmers grew vegetables on a total area of 2,035 hectares, whereas in 2023, the area is around 50% less. The farm labour shortage began during the…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, is working on a "national agreement" to address the issue of a declining population, LRT reports. Currently, one in three households in Lithuania consists of single individuals living alone, which has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. This trend includes both seniors, particularly women due to a significant gender…
Latvia had the largest share of people outside the labour force in the three Baltic states in the first quarter of 2023, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Just over 16% of Latvia’s potential labour force is not currently part of the working population. The figure stands at 15.4% in Lithuania and 12.3% in Estonia….
Estonia’s procedure for disbursing unemployment insurance benefits has changed as of 30 June 2023, ERR reports. The duration of the benefits now depends on the state of the labour market. The previous fixed framework did not consider the ease or difficulty of finding employment. Under the new system, the labour market situation will be reevaluated…
