COMPETITIVENESS OF WOMEN IN THE LABOUR MARKET IN LATGALE

Abstract

Competitiveness in the labour market is a range of various factors that assist an employee in getting or retaining a job, while an employer can attract and maintain a labour force adequate to meet the employer’s needs. The research aim is to examine the competitiveness of women in the labour market in Latvia and to develop proposals for its improvement. The present research deals with employment trends, especially focusing on statistical data on women. The research also examines statistical data on job vacancies, unemployment, wages, and other related data. To identify the factors influencing women’s competitiveness, 214 women were surveyed in Latgale region. According to the survey, there are several factors influencing women’s competitiveness in the labour market. Education, length of service, and experience are the most significant factors. The longer women’s unemployment period is, the more these women require support to restart their employment and to be competitive in the labour market. Research methods employed: the monographic method, the descriptive method, analysis and synthesis, the graphic method, document analysis, statistical analysis, and a sociological method – a survey. The survey results were processed using the tools of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel