RIGA, May 25 (LETA) - In the first quarter of 2021, the share of Latvia's employed population dropped by 3.1 percentage points on year to 853,200 people, or 61.6 percent of the entire population, according to the data released today by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB).

The number of employed residents declined by 48,300 against the respective period last year.

Over the year, the employment rate decreased by 3.1 percentage points, while the number of employed - by 48,300. Compared to the previous quarter, the employment rate decreased by 2.2 percentage points, but the number of employed - by 32,300.

The number of employed population in the 75-89 age group in the first quarter was 5,000.

In the first quarter, the employment rate for males was 7.2 percentage points higher than for females (65.4 percent and 58.2 percent, respectively).

In the first quarter of 2021, the employment rate for young people aged 15–24 was 25.5 percent, which is 5 percentage points lower than in the corresponding period last year. 43,700 young people were employed compared to 52,100 in the first quarter of 2020.

In the first quarter, employed worked in the main job an average of 37.8 hours per week, which is 0.5 hours more than in the same period a year earlier and in the previous quarter.

Every tenth (82,100 or 9.6 percent) employed worked part-time. It is by 25,900 or 2.4 percentage points less than in the corresponding period of the previous year and by 4,800 or 0.2 percentage points less than in the previous quarter.

In the first quarter of 2021, 22.6 percent (167,600) of employees worked remotely. It is by 28,600 or 4.6 percentage points more than in the fourth quarter of the previous year (139,000 or 18 percent). Of those working remotely, 62 percent were females and 38 percent males.

Almost four-fifths (78.9 percent) of employees in the information and communication services sector, slightly less (73.6 percent) employees in financial and insurance activities sector, 43.4 percent of employees in the education sector and 37.4 percent of employees in the public administration and defense; compulsory social security sector worked remotely. The lowest share (9.7 percent) of employees working remotely was observed in the manufacturing sector.

56.3 percent of professionals, 44.3 percent of managers, 36.1 percent of technicians and associate professionals and 19.1 percent of clerical support workers (office workers) worked remotely.