Latvia

Latvia is a country of 1.8 million people on the Baltic Sea with an employment rate above the EU average: 78.2% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%).

Unemployment has stayed at about the same level for years – 6.9% in 2022, 6.5% in 2023 and 6.9% in 2024 and 2025. That is above the EU average of 6.0%. Youth unemployment is slightly lower than in the EU as a whole: 14.8% among people aged 15–24, compared with 15.2%.

As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a work permit – you have free access to the Latvian labour market. What you do need for most jobs is Latvian: it is the only official state language, and EURES advises that adequate knowledge of Latvian is necessary when you apply for a job.

Latvia keeps an official list of professions with an expected significant labour shortage – jobs for which employers may invite workers from abroad (Cabinet Regulation No. 108 of 2018, in force until December 2027). It covers:

• ICT – systems analysts, programmers, database administrators, IT service managers,
• engineering – electrical, electronics, civil, bridge, railway and water engineers; industrial, production and robotics engineers, welding technologists,
• science and finance – researchers, physicists, chemists, mathematicians, statisticians, financial and risk analysts,
• aviation and shipping – pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, captains of fishing vessels.

The EURES labour market information for Latvia (2025) adds shortages of building and related trades workers, metal and machinery workers and health professionals. Growing areas include IT services, cybersecurity, e-commerce, fintech and healthcare. There are more jobseekers than jobs for business and administration associate professionals and in food processing, woodworking and garment crafts.

The highest pay is in ICT and finance, and for specialists and managers in manufacturing.

People in Latvia find jobs through personal contacts, ads, employment agencies and the internet. Many employers publish vacancies on their own websites and social media. Start here:

• CV and vacancy portal (CVVP) of the State Employment Agency (NVA) – search vacancies and publish your CV,
• EURES – the EU job portal, plus EURES advisers at the NVA who help with moving for work,
• NVA – entry and stay in Latvia – what you need to know before you move.

Many employers publish their vacancies only on their own websites and social media – so follow the companies you are interested in, and do not be afraid to contact them directly.

For step-by-step advice on job search, CVs and interviews in any EU country, see our How to find a job abroad – 10 practical guides.

A typical Latvian application contains:

• a CV – no longer than two pages; you can use the Europass CV,
• a motivation or cover letter – employers often ask for one,
• a photo – it is up to you whether to include one.

Write in Latvian unless the ad asks for another language.

The interview: interviews in Latvia are usually formal. Arrive on time, look neat and tidy, and it is fine to shake hands when you arrive.

Diplomas: the Academic Information Centre (AIC, the Latvian ENIC/NARIC) recognises foreign diplomas and runs the assistance centre for the recognition of professional qualifications. In a regulated profession you need recognition before you start work.

• Minimum wage: from 1 January 2026 at least €780 a month for standard working time (40 hours a week). For comparison, the average gross wage in 2025 was €1,815 (€1,346 net).
• Contract: the employment contract must be in writing, in two copies – one is for you. A probation period can last up to 3 months; fixed-term contracts up to 5 years.
• Working time: normally no more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Overtime is only allowed if you agree to it in writing, and on average no more than 8 hours of overtime in seven days (counted over four months).
• Overtime is paid with a bonus of at least 100% of your hourly or daily wage; night work with at least 50%.
• Breaks and rest: if you work more than 6 hours, you get a break of at least 30 minutes, no later than 4 hours after you start. Daily rest: at least 12 hours in a row; weekly rest: at least 42 hours in a row.
• Holidays: at least 4 calendar weeks of paid annual leave, not counting public holidays.
• Pay day: wages are paid at least twice a month, unless you agree with your employer on monthly payments.

Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland have free access to the Latvian labour market, just like Latvians.

• Student and holiday jobs are normal employment: you sign a written contract, and the minimum wage, working-time and paid-leave rules apply.
• Age limits: you can work from the age of 15; people under 18 need a medical examination before they start.
• Internships: Latvia has no formal legal definition of a “traineeship”, so check before you start whether you will have an employment contract, pay and insurance. If you are studying in another EU country, an Erasmus+ traineeship grant can cover travel and living costs.

Students from outside the EU may work up to 20 hours a week during their studies and up to 40 hours a week during study holidays.

Thinking of studying there first? See Studying in Latvia – practical information.

1. Registration card: if you live in Latvia for longer than 3 months, register with the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) and get a registration card of the Union citizen (Savienības pilsoņa reģistrācijas apliecība). You qualify as a worker, self-employed person, student with sufficient resources or family member.
2. Personal code (personas kods): you receive it when you register your residence with PMLP.
3. Declare your place of residence (deklarētā dzīvesvieta) with your local council or with PMLP once you settle in Latvia.
4. Social insurance: your employer registers you with the State Revenue Service (VID). Social security contributions are 34.09% in total – 10.50% paid by you and 23.59% by your employer.
5. Health care: as a worker you can use the state health care system – register with a family doctor (general practitioner) through the National Health Service.
6. Tax: personal income tax is 25.5% on income up to €105,300 a year and 33% above that. The non-taxable minimum is €550 a month (€6,600 a year) in 2026.
7. Bank account: open one early – your wages are paid at least twice a month (or monthly, if you agree).

Problems with your rights as an EU worker? Your Europe Advice and SOLVIT help for free.

If you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you need a work permit, issued by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) together with your visa or residence permit. Before inviting you, the employer must register the vacancy with the State Employment Agency – at least one month before applying. The main routes:

• Graduates of Latvian universities can apply for a temporary residence permit for up to 9 months to look for a job or start a business.
• EU Blue Card – for highly qualified workers with a contract or binding job offer of at least 1 year and a salary of at least 1.5 times the Latvian average gross salary (lower for shortage professions). PMLP fee for examining the documents: €160 (10 working days) or €280 (5 working days), plus €45 for the residence card (2026).
• Shortage professions – for the professions on the official shortage list (see “Where the jobs are”), employers may invite workers from abroad.

All the conditions and application steps are explained on the PMLP website: employment of foreigners and EU Blue Card.

• Eurostat – population on 1 January, unemployment by age, employment rate (data for 2025 and 2026),
• EURES – Living and working conditions: Latvia, labour market information: Latvia,
• State Employment Agency (NVA) – entry and stay in Latvia, EURES in Latvia,
• Likumi.lv – professions with an expected significant labour shortage (Cabinet Regulation No. 108),
• State Labour Inspectorate (VDI) – working hours, breaks and rest, employment requirements,
• Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) – residence documents for EU citizens, residence permit fees, employment of foreigners,
• Academic Information Centre – recognition of foreign diplomas,
• European Commission, EU Immigration Portal – students in Latvia, EU Blue Card in Latvia,
• Your Europe – working abroad.

Updated: October 2026.