Number of public administration employees in Latvia above EU average

  • 2017-07-30
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - The number of public administration employees in Latvia is above the EU average, according to the Public Administration Reform Plan 2020, which is a draft document prepared by the State Chancellery.

The State Chancellery said that the total number of employees in the general government sector is 226,600, of which 52 percent or 117,000 work in local governments and municipal institutions, nearly 10 percent or 22,000 work in the state owned-companies, close to 6 percent or 13,000 work in the municipal companies and about one-fourth or 60,600 work in the budgetary institutions such as ministries and the related agencies as well as the so-called independent institutions which include the parliament, the State Audit Office, the Supreme Court etc.

The layoffs proposed as part of the public administration reform would not affect the independent institutions which leaves 58,000 employees, who might lose their jobs. "Before discussing any layoffs, it is important to understand that most of them perform vital public functions in internal and external security, education, emergency medical aid and social care. Only a small share of them or about 11,700 are the so-called classic public servants," the State Chancellery said.

As reported, under the reform plan proposed by the Latvian State Chancellery earlier this week, the number of public administration employees is to be cut by 6 percent over the next three years while their salaries are to be increased to bring them closer to the pay level in the private sector. In three years, the number of employees in the direct public administration should be reduced by 6 percent from current 58,000 to 54,500 in 2020.