In 2025, Latvia granted the highest number of work permits to individuals from non-EU countries – 22,917.
A year earlier, there were 19,285, while in 2014, there were only 3,090.
It is expected that this year has a chance to break the record, as 7,483 people have already received permits in the first four months.
It should be noted that over the years, the number of foreigners in Latvia will only increase. According to the Ministry of Welfare, by 2040, the manufacturing industry in Latvia will be short of 47,400 workers – more than the total number of unemployed currently in the country.
Where Workers Come From
The absolute leader among the countries importing labor to Latvia is Uzbekistan (7,265 people in 2025), followed by India (3,034), Belarus (2,864), Tajikistan (2,356), and Ukraine (1,939). The latter, being, let’s say, an officially recognized friend and ally, has notably yielded to two countries that are quite friendly to Russia.
It is worth noting that the number of Ukrainian guest workers does not include those citizens of Ukraine who are in Latvia with temporary protection status – only those who have arrived specifically to work.
Among the countries whose citizens are working in Latvia, Moldova, the Philippines, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and China are also frequently mentioned. However, all these countries have supplied less than 1,000 people to our labor market.
Where Guest Workers Are Employed
If we assess the segments of the labor market where guest workers are most often employed, the clear leader will be ground transportation – last year, 9,604 foreigners started working here (8,218 as truck drivers).
Following this, surprisingly, is the employment assistance sector – 2,498 foreigners themselves began attracting their compatriots to Latvia. This is even more than in the construction of residential and non-residential buildings (1,908) and specialized construction work (1,036).
The most intellectual area of employment for foreigners – programming – attracted 754 people.
