Latvia’s Unemployment Edges Down to 7.0%

Latvia’s unemployment rate edged down to 7.0% in the second quarter of 2026 from 7.1% in the previous quarter, but was up from 6.7% in the same period last year. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 0.2 thousand quarter-on-quarter to 66.2 thousand. The unemployment rate for men rose to 8.1% from 7.2%, with the number of unemployed men at 37.8 thousand, while the rate for women fell to 5.9% from 7.0%, with unemployed women totaling 28.4 thousand. The youth unemployment rate (ages 15–24) rose to 15.0%, equivalent to 11.1 thousand people or 16.7% of the total unemployed population. At the same time, 15.6% of the population aged 20–64, or 161.6 thousand people, remained economically inactive, down by 2.3 thousand from the corresponding period a year earlier. Meanwhile, total employment rose by 14.3 thousand to 885.5 thousand, bringing the employment rate to 65.1%, up 1.3 percentage points from the first quarter.

Latvia’s unemployment rate rose to 7.1% in the first quarter of 2026 from 6.7% in the previous quarter, but was down from 7.4% in the same period last year. This marked the highest reading since the first quarter of 2025, as the number of unemployed persons increased by 2.6 thousand quarter-on-quarter to 66.4 thousand. The jobless rate for men fell to 7.2% from 7.6%, with the number of unemployed men at 32.9 thousand, while the rate for women rose to 7% from 5.9%, with unemployed women totaling 33.4 thousand. Meanwhile, total employment dropped by 11.6 thousand to 871.2 thousand, bringing the employment rate to 63.8%, down 1 percentage point from the fourth quarter. The youth unemployment rate (ages 15–24) fell to 9.4%, equivalent to 6.2 thousand people, decreasing by 4.1 percentage points from Q4. At the same time, 16.6% of the population aged 20–64, or 173.6 thousand people, remained economically inactive, down by 5.6 thousand from the corresponding period a year earlier.

Latvia’s unemployment rate declined to 6.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025, down from 6.9% in the previous quarter and the same period last year. The number of unemployed fell to 63.8 thousand from 66.2 thousand in Q3, while total employment dropped to 882.8 thousand from 892.1 thousand, bringing the employment rate to 64.8%, down 0.4 percentage points quarter on quarter. Youth unemployment rose to 13.5%, up 1.4 percentage points from Q3, even as the number of unemployed young people slightly fell by 0.3 thousand to 8.5 thousand, accounting for 13.3% of all unemployed. Meanwhile, 30.6% of the population aged 15–74, or 416.8 thousand people, remained economically inactive, an increase of 6.2 thousand from the previous quarter.