Latvian Employers Confederation: refugee integration "very important" for the the country’s job market

The Latvian Employers Confederation, the LDDK, believes how Latvia’s quota of North African refugees affected by the Mediterranean Crisis are integrated, is “very important” for the the country’s job market. 

The LDDK believes for immigrants to start working in Latvia, they will have to go through a certain integration stage. It believes in order to do so, they will have to learn the Latvian language, learn their local environment, plus customer service and other aspects. 

"Therefore it is very important how integration of these people in the society will be organized," said a spokesman for the confederation.

"Looking from the point of view of Latvian employers, the priority is to employ a local workforce. 

“However, Latvia’s demographics suggest Latvian that in the coming ten years at least 30,000 people will retire. 

“Due to the demographic situation, only 16,000 people will enter the job market. Thus, the matter of the workforce will be topical.”

Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis recently said refugees will arrive in Latvia only when the integration program is ready. 

He said the exact date the refugees will be accepted in Latvia has not been decided, and it may be closer to winter, not autumn.

On Monday July 20, 2015, European Union justice and interior ministers agreed on the admission of 54,760 refugees affected by the crisis in the Mediterranean. 

During the discussion, Latvia remained firm it will voluntarily take in 250 refugees. 

Negotiations on the resettlement of refugees in other EU member states are expected to continue until the end of this year.

The LDDK is the largest employers’ organisation in Latvia. The LDDK members employ 41 percent of the working-age population in Latvia.