Latvian young people’s career choices are increasingly drifting away from the sectors where investments and jobs will be concentrated in the future. This is revealed by the latest youth career survey data presented today, 21 January, by the Latvia Education Accelerator.
The survey results show that high interest is concentrated in sectors with limited employment and growth potential. Around 19% of young people express a desire to work in the creative industries (art, design, music), even though these sectors account for only about 2-3% of Latvia’s gross domestic product (GDP). A career in sports is planned by 14% of young people, while the sector’s contribution to GDP is less than 1%.
At the same time, the study highlights a particularly worrying trend: declining interest in sectors that are essential for economic growth and competitiveness. Compared to the previous year, young people’s interest in entrepreneurship, finance and economics, as well as in information and communication technologies (ICT), has decreased - despite the fact that demand in these areas is expected to grow rapidly in the context of artificial intelligence and digitalisation. A long-term decline in interest in entrepreneurship could also threaten the creation of new businesses and the economy’s capacity for renewal.
Meanwhile, several strategically important sectors remain significantly undervalued in young people’s choices. Manufacturing, which accounts for 13-14% of GDP, interests only about 8% of young people; transport and logistics (around 8-9% of GDP) attract 7%; while woodworking and forestry-one of Latvia’s export pillars (around 6-7% of GDP) - attract just 3%. Energy, whose importance is growing in both security and green transition contexts, also remains a low-interest area in young people’s career plans.
Lauris Mencis, Head of Swedbank Latvia, notes that these data are highly significant from a national economic development perspective: “If young people’s interests continue not to follow the structure of the economy and investment directions, it will affect the growth of the entire country. Career education must help young people understand that a stable and meaningful career is also possible in sectors that may currently seem less visible, but where there will be strong demand for talent. This is a question of Latvia’s ability to remain competitive in the long term and to develop a high value-added economy.”
In addition to sector choices, the study also reveals low confidence in making career decisions. Only about 40% of young people feel confident in their ability to make decisions about their future career, which is below the level recommended by the OECD. At the same time, only 24% of young people have had an individual conversation with a career counsellor at school or outside it, meaning that the majority make career decisions without professional support.
“The survey data show that young people are thinking about the future, but they often lack sufficient information to make well-founded decisions. Career choices are increasingly based on interests rather than on an understanding of where jobs will be created and which skills will be in demand,” said Zane Čulkstēna, Head of the Latvia Education Accelerator, when presenting the latest survey results.
The data also show that young people prefer practical career exploration, but opportunities are lacking. More than one third of young people indicate that they would prefer job shadowing days, internships or summer jobs; however, almost half of those who wanted an internship in the summer of 2025 did not receive one due to a lack of available placements.
Particular concern is raised by the section on artificial intelligence (AI) included in this year’s survey. Only 8% of young people report having had regular (more than three times) discussions or learning activities at school about how AI will change professions and the labour market. Although 46% of young people say they understand the impact of AI only partially, 9% say they do not understand it at all, and many still lack clarity about which skills will be needed in the future and how to develop them purposefully.
The survey also highlights gender differences in understanding AI: 55% of boys understand the impact of artificial intelligence on future work, compared to only 40% of girls. This increases the risk that girls will move even further away from technological and high value-added sectors. At the same time, the data show that some young people perceive AI in contradictory ways or rely on fragmented information, most often obtained through self-learning online rather than through a structured education process.
Zanda Arnava, Head of Accenture Talent Studio in the Baltics, emphasises the importance of the AI dimension: “Artificial intelligence is already changing the nature of work in almost all sectors, not only IT. If young people learn about it randomly or only through self-study, we risk a significant skills gap. Understanding AI and future skills must be a systematic part of the education process so that young people can consciously prepare for professions that are only now emerging.”
At today’s event at Swedbank Latvia’s head office, the detailed survey results were presented, followed by a discussion among the co-chairs of the Latvia Education Accelerator on young people’s career choices and next steps in strengthening career education. The survey involved 4,881 young people from 152 Latvian schools and vocational institutions, providing a broad and representative insight into youth career choices across Latvia.
The full research presentation is attached to the press release.
About the Latvia Education Accelerator
The Latvia Education Accelerator is part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Education Accelerator programme. It was launched in Latvia on 30 November 2023 by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with Swedbank Latvia, Accenture, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Ministry of Economics.
The Latvia Education Accelerator is a three-year initiative (2023–2026) aimed at promoting long-term, systemic change in career education and skills development by strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors. The accelerator focuses on better preparing young people for a changing labour market, based on data, labour market needs and future skills.
More information:
https://initiatives.weforum.org/latvia-education-accelerator/home
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