Working Life Barometer in the Baltic Countries 2002 (pdf) - mol.fi

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In Latvia, the salary level at old workplaces established before the regaining of
independence has risen in all the income groups. A sharper increase than average
has occurred only in the first and ninth deciles. In reorganised companies,
the rise in salaries has clearly been more prevalent among those with middle
and high income. In the top two salary groups, the salary growth has been very
great - over 30 per cent on average. At the new workplaces, the salaries of the
middle-income group have definitely fallen. However, as at the other workplaces,
also at the new workplaces the top salary group has increased its income
a great deal. The changes have been very great, and in 2002 the median
salary level at both the old and the reorganised workplaces was higher than at
the new ones. The income level has clearly improved more slowly at the new
workplaces than at the reorganised and old ones.
SUMMARY: Latvia
The net salaries in Latvia have increased very markedly during the period
between Autumn 1998 and January 2002. The rise in prices has eaten away
only a small part of the salary level improvement, and the wage earners' purchasing
power is now better. This has produced a definite narrowing of the
gap between Estonia and Latvia. In Latvia, the salary differences between men
and women are great, and during the last three years the gap between the genders
has grown slightly. However, in the case of those with a higher-than-average
income, the women's salaries especially have improved and, for them,
the salary differences in comparison with the men have decreased. The difference
in salaries between the public and private sectors in Latvia is very small.
The private-sector income groups receiving the highest salary have nevertheless
caused this difference to grow. Taken as a whole, income differences in
Latvia have increased somewhat. Underlying this - in contrast to Estonia - is a
strong positive salary development, particularly in the highest salary groups.