Last year, the interest of emigrants to return to Latvia increased

Interview with Līga Baufale, Project Manager of the SEA European Employment Services Network

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What are the current trends in re-emigration – is there a growing interest in returning to Latvia? What have you noticed in these webinars so far?

Last year, we started organizing these seminars to inform Latvian citizens living in other countries and planning to return to Latvia. And last year there were four such re-emigration webinars, with more than 120 participants. This growing trend is also reflected in the growing number of one-to-one consultations. And last year we provided 200 such returns on return issues.

From which countries are more people interested in returning?

The top countries were the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Why in the United Kingdom, it could be attributed to the events of the Brexit.

What are the most common reasons for returning?

One group is someone who has lived in another country for a certain period of time, acquired certain skills and sees career development opportunities in Latvia, which are often faster and wider here. There are also people who have worked abroad for a long time and have earned their pension capital, but want to spend their old age in Latvia. Of course, there are also emotional reasons for longing for home. There are also families where parents want their children to grow up in their parents’ home country. There is also a group that wants to establish companies in Latvia.

What could be the profile of these re-migrants, if you can call it that – are they families, elderly people, young people, is it a more skilled or unskilled workforce?

In general, it can be said that the largest group are people of working age. Of course, there are mostly families with children at this age, but when it comes to qualifications and skills, I will say that there are mostly people with enough qualifications that can be used in the labor market. Also, taking into account their questions about SEA services, people are also ready to retrain and improve their qualifications.

And which destinations do they choose more, namely urban or rural areas?

Of course, Riga is the biggest destination, but different regions are also quite attractive destinations for these people.

Did an online job mobility counselor webinar support re-migration take place this week? What was the activity like?

The first of four webinars planned for this year took place this week. There were 26 people currently living in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. The range of questions was wide – on pension issues, entrepreneurship, social coordination issues, export of unemployment benefits. And there is also interest in job opportunities. The SEA vacancy portal currently has about 20 thousand vacancies in various jobs.

What questions do these people more often ask counselors about employment in Latvia, what are their most important challenges when returning to Latvia?

The main challenge, I think, is to decide on their relocation and start gathering information. It is difficult for people to gather their information in a language they can understand. Then it is one of our tasks – to present it in a way that is easy. There is also the human factor that it can be difficult to start all over again and motivate yourself. People are also worried about problems in arranging their place of residence, placing children in an educational institution, and so on. Also, whether I will be able to get a new job, because the work culture differs in each country, then, of course, the challenge of coping with the adaptation phase.

What support is available to these people in Latvia and where can it be found?

Information can be found at SEA websitewhere you can also apply for one – to – one counseling and re – emigration support webinars.

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