Bureaucratic Happiness: Positions in Latvian Ministries Are the Same, but Salaries Vary Threefold 0 18

The law requires the publication of salaries of decision-making employees, however, the published data shows that the number of such individuals varies significantly. In some ministries, only a few people make decisions, while in others, there are nearly two hundred. For example:

• In the Ministry of Smart Governance and Regional Development (VARAM), only one person was listed as authorized to make decisions;

• In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were 191 such individuals.

As for the salaries of high-level officials, on average, administrators in Latvia earn more than 7000 euros, followed by state secretaries and parliamentary secretaries. The lowest salary among these categories is recorded for general inspectors — around 5000 euros.

Interestingly, the salaries of state secretaries differ significantly:

• the highest is in the Ministry of Economics: 8639 euros;

• the lowest is in the Ministry of Culture: 4654 euros.

Even more significant differences are observed among deputy state secretaries:

• the highest salary is in the Ministry of Finance: over 8000 euros;

• the lowest is in VARAM: nearly 3000 euros.

Salaries of department directors also vary:

• the highest average salary is in the Ministry of Finance: just over 8000 euros;

• the lowest is in the Ministry of Culture: around 3000 euros.

In a written comment, the State Chancellery explained that a permissible range of monthly salaries is established for positions, but each agency independently determines the specific amount of remuneration. Therefore, there are significant differences in salaries for the same positions across different ministries.