Judging by the official statistics, the state has become richer, but somehow this layer of butter has been unevenly spread on the sandwiches.
There was no great war in our region, just as there was no great epidemic, and for that, a big human thank you. If only we knew – whom to thank?
1835 euros before taxes – this was the average salary in 2025, "on the books," in Latvia. And where would our people like to work?
In the "hot ten," there are the most banks – 4, plus 3 ministries and agencies, and also the national electric company, a mobile operator, and the capital's airport.
It is worth noting that only the banks in this TOP10 are fully private, as all other structures are either fully budgetary or partially owned by the state. Here we come to an interesting paradox: this past year marked 40 years since the perestroika and 35 years of Latvia's independence. What did we hear back then? Privatization! The strong hand of the market! And what do we hear now? The happiest person in Latvia today is the one who works even a little in the public sector, where there are salaries, clarity, social guarantees, and at least some confidence in tomorrow.
Thus, it turns out that 593,000 people work in commercial structures in Latvia, while 288,000 are in the public sector (and here there are not just clerks, but also doctors, teachers, police officers, firefighters, and in general, there are no freeloaders here at all).
To the credit of national statistics, it has long learned to add to the gross domestic product that part which is "created," say, in defense. For example, they made another miracle drone, assembled in Marupe from Chinese parts, adding something from their 3D printer. Either they supplied it to their army or sent it to war. And all this is accompanied by the circulation of our budget, and then counted towards the percentage growth of the economy. So, if someone does not see that the state is getting richer, it means that an express train to a bright future, where salaries grow by 10% a year, is passing them by.
"The main factor determining the increase in wages in the long term will remain the tense situation in the labor market and the shortage of labor force," said Andris Migunovs, an economist at the Bank of Latvia, recently.
In 2026, a "thousand" minimum wage will be officially introduced – 1050 euros gross. But only in the construction sector! For other industries, the minimum wage is 780 euros, or 600-620 net. This is the kind of disparity with the bright, state statistics…
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