RIGA, Feb 14 (LETA) - Due to various reasons, the State Employment Agency is going to cut  subsidized temporary jobs in all municipalities of Latvia, the government agency's representative Rasma Smaukstele informed LETA. 

The main reason for the reduction of temporary jobs in the loss of EU funding, which last year was used to provide more temporary jobs, Smaukstele said. Meanwhile, many jobless people have become less interested in taking the temporary jobs, which are only available to those who have Covid-19 certificates. 

The scale of the temporary job cuts differs across various municipalities. This year, the number of subsidized temporary jobs will decrease by 71 percent in Latvia's western province Kurzeme, by 65 percent in Riga, by 57 percent in the central province of Zemgale, by 55 percent in the eastern province of Zemgale and by 45 percent in the northeastern province of Vidzeme. 

"In Latgale, especially in municipalities where permanent jobs are scarce, very many people use this employment opportunity," Smaukstele said. In Latgale, where unemployment rate is 14.6 percent, temporary jobs make up 60 percent of all job vacancies, according to the State Employment Agency.

In Riga, where the registered unemployment rate is 4.6 percent, temporary jobs make up just 7 percent, as Riga and surrounding municipalities have the highest economic activity in Latvia.

"Paid temporary jobs are provided to those unemployed people that have been unable to find jobs for a long period of time and do not receive jobless benefits. This is why this employment program is highly important in municipalities with high unemployment rates and low economic activity," the representative of the State Employment Agency said. 

Last week, the City Development Committee decided to reduce the number of subsidized temporary jobs in Riga from 140 to 42.