RIGA, May 25 (LETA) - In the first quarter of 2021, Latvia's unemployment rate grew to 8.1 percent of the economically active population, which is an increase of 0.5 percentage points against the same period a year ago and a 0.2 percentage points rise from the last quarter of 2020, shows the Labor Force Survey conducted by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB).

In the first quarter of this year, there were 74,700 unemployed persons aged between 15 and 74 in Latvia. Their number grew by 400 people, or 0.5 percent, from the first quarter of last year, but dropped by 900 people, or 1.2 percent, from the last quarter of 2020. 

In Latvia's women population joblessness was lower than among men, with 7.5 percent of women and 8.6 percent of men were out of work in January-March 2021. 

According to the CSB, in the first quarter of 2021, 39,700 unemployed persons were out of a job for up to 5 months. It is by 300 people less than a year ago, but by 500 more than in the previous quarter. 14,600 were unemployed for 6-11 months. The number of these persons increased compared to the first quarter of the previous year (by 1,600) but decreased compared to the previous quarter (by 1,200). 

In the first quarter, there were 20,400 long-term unemployed persons - down 900 from the same period a year ago and 200 fewer than in the fourth quarter of 2020.

In the first quarter, the share of the long-term unemployed in the total number of unemployed persons was 27.3 percent (the same as in the previous quarter). Compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, it decreased by 1.4 percentage points.

In the first quarter of 2021, the youth unemployment rate (persons aged 15–24) was 16.3 percent, which is 1.5 percentage points higher than a year ago and 5 percentage points higher than in the previous quarter. Over the year, the number of youth unemployed has decreased by 500 but increased by 2,300 compared to the previous quarter.

In the first quarter, 11.4 percent of all unemployed were young people. Their share decreased by 0.8 percentage points over the year but increased by 3.2 percentage points compared to the previous quarter.

In the first quarter, 30.4 percent of all young people were economically active, i.e. employed or actively looking for work (unemployed), while 69.6 percent of young people were inactive - mostly still studying and not looking for work.

In the first quarter of 2021, one third (33 percent) or 457,400 people aged 15 to 74 were inactive, i.e. were not employed and did not actively look for work. Compared to the previous quarter, the number of inactive population increased by 31,200 or 7.3 percent, and over the year - by 39,800, or 9.5 percent.

In the first quarter of 2021, around 7,000 people, or 1.5 percent of economically inactive population, had lost hopes to find work. Their proportion had decreased from 3 percent a year ago and from 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020. 

The Labor Force Survey on economic activity in the first quarter of 2021 included 7,300 respondents aged 15 to 74 from 4,200 households and 8,200 respondents aged 15 to 89 from 4,600 households.