RIGA — Latvia’s unemployment level underwent a slight uptick in April, according to officials, though European Union data shows that joblessness in the Baltic state was virtually unchanged and remains the highest in the 27-member bloc.

Baiba Pasevica, head of the State Employment Agency, said that unemployment declined over the month to 16.8 percent of the working age population. At the end of March the [private_supervisor]figure had been 17.3 percent, and the February 17.1 percent.

The news was somewhat surprising since earlier in April a central bank analyst had said that the level of joblessness would rise due to a recalculation of the size of Latvia’s working age population, though apparently this has not occurred.

The agency said some 3,368 people found jobs over April, though more than 190,000 remain without employment.

Pasevica said the highest level of joblessness remained in Latgale, at 23.1 percent, while the lowest was in Riga and the surrounding region (13.8 percent).

The economy ministry has forecast that unemployment would rise to over 18 percent and only gradually begin to decline in 2011, when it would fall to some 15-16 percent.

Meanwhile, EU data show that unemployment in Latvia was 22.3 percent in March (one month prior to Latvian data), which is flat compared with February’s result. A year ago, in March 2009, unemployment was 14.3 percent, according to EU data.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Latvia’s rampant unemployment is how drastically it has impacted youth. According to Eurostat, some 44.9 percent of workers under the age of 25 did not have jobs in Latvia (followed by 41.2 percent in Spain).

Pasevica said the current number of job vacancies was 2,089, meaning that there were 91 unemployed people per available job. On April 15 the State Social Insurance Agency said that some 35 million lats (50 million euros) were distributed in unemployment benefits in the first quarter of the year. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]figure had been 17.3 percent, and the February 17.1 percent.

The news was somewhat surprising since earlier in April a central bank analyst had said that the level of joblessness would rise due to a recalculation of the size of Latvia’s working age population, though apparently this has not occurred.

The agency said some 3,368 people found jobs over April, though more than 190,000 remain without employment.

Pasevica said the highest level of joblessness remained in Latgale, at 23.1 percent, while the lowest was in Riga and the surrounding region (13.8 percent).

The economy ministry has forecast that unemployment would rise to over 18 percent and only gradually begin to decline in 2011, when it would fall to some 15-16 percent.

Meanwhile, EU data show that unemployment in Latvia was 22.3 percent in March (one month prior to Latvian data), which is flat compared with February’s result. A year ago, in March 2009, unemployment was 14.3 percent, according to EU data.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Latvia’s rampant unemployment is how drastically it has impacted youth. According to Eurostat, some 44.9 percent of workers under the age of 25 did not have jobs in Latvia (followed by 41.2 percent in Spain).

Pasevica said the current number of job vacancies was 2,089, meaning that there were 91 unemployed people per available job. On April 15 the State Social Insurance Agency said that some 35 million lats (50 million euros) were distributed in unemployment benefits in the first quarter of the year. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]figure had been 17.3 percent, and the February 17.1 percent.

The news was somewhat surprising since earlier in April a central bank analyst had said that the level of joblessness would rise due to a recalculation of the size of Latvia’s working age population, though apparently this has not occurred.

The agency said some 3,368 people found jobs over April, though more than 190,000 remain without employment.

Pasevica said the highest level of joblessness remained in Latgale, at 23.1 percent, while the lowest was in Riga and the surrounding region (13.8 percent).

The economy ministry has forecast that unemployment would rise to over 18 percent and only gradually begin to decline in 2011, when it would fall to some 15-16 percent.

Meanwhile, EU data show that unemployment in Latvia was 22.3 percent in March (one month prior to Latvian data), which is flat compared with February’s result. A year ago, in March 2009, unemployment was 14.3 percent, according to EU data.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Latvia’s rampant unemployment is how drastically it has impacted youth. According to Eurostat, some 44.9 percent of workers under the age of 25 did not have jobs in Latvia (followed by 41.2 percent in Spain).

Pasevica said the current number of job vacancies was 2,089, meaning that there were 91 unemployed people per available job. On April 15 the State Social Insurance Agency said that some 35 million lats (50 million euros) were distributed in unemployment benefits in the first quarter of the year. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]figure had been 17.3 percent, and the February 17.1 percent.

The news was somewhat surprising since earlier in April a central bank analyst had said that the level of joblessness would rise due to a recalculation of the size of Latvia’s working age population, though apparently this has not occurred.

The agency said some 3,368 people found jobs over April, though more than 190,000 remain without employment.

Pasevica said the highest level of joblessness remained in Latgale, at 23.1 percent, while the lowest was in Riga and the surrounding region (13.8 percent).

The economy ministry has forecast that unemployment would rise to over 18 percent and only gradually begin to decline in 2011, when it would fall to some 15-16 percent.

Meanwhile, EU data show that unemployment in Latvia was 22.3 percent in March (one month prior to Latvian data), which is flat compared with February’s result. A year ago, in March 2009, unemployment was 14.3 percent, according to EU data.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Latvia’s rampant unemployment is how drastically it has impacted youth. According to Eurostat, some 44.9 percent of workers under the age of 25 did not have jobs in Latvia (followed by 41.2 percent in Spain).

Pasevica said the current number of job vacancies was 2,089, meaning that there were 91 unemployed people per available job. On April 15 the State Social Insurance Agency said that some 35 million lats (50 million euros) were distributed in unemployment benefits in the first quarter of the year. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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