Kazaks: The number of employees in the public sector in Latvia should be reduced

In Latvia, it is necessary to reduce the number of employees in the public sector, stated Mārtiņš Kazāks, president of the Bank of Latvia, on LTV.

He noted that the public sector has significantly grown compared to the economy as a whole in recent years - the number of employees in the public sector has remained unchanged, while in the private sector it has significantly decreased. He expressed that for people from the public sector to transition to the private sector, various skills are needed, hence the role of the State Employment Agency (NVA) will increase, as it will need to help make this transition easier.

According to data from the Central Statistical Bureau, in the second quarter of 2026, there were a total of 904,200 jobs occupied in Latvia, including 612,100 jobs in the private sector and 292,100 in the public sector.

At the same time, in Latvia, there were an average of nearly 19,700 vacant jobs in the second quarter of this year, which is almost 400 or 1.8% less than in the corresponding period of 2025.

 Among them, there were nearly 10,500 vacant jobs in the private sector, while in the public sector there were more than 9,200.

Photo: LETA