Since 2015, the number of temporary residence permits issued to foreign workers and their family members in Latvia has more than doubled, according to data from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) collected by Latvian Television. This was reported by Rus.Lsm.lv. Currently, the largest number of labour migrants in Latvia are from Ukraine (3,347), Uzbekistan (2,549) and Belarus (1,423). Over the past nine years, the number of workers from Bulgaria has decreased the most, while the number of workers from the Russian Federation and Lithuania has decreased significantly. On the other hand, the largest increase in the number of workers comes from Uzbekistan – in 2015, 91 workers from this country were registered, and in 2024, there will already be 2,549 such workers. The number of workers from Ukraine, India and Belarus has noticeably increased. A significant increase can also be seen in the data on workers from Tajikistan – from 4 valid temporary residence permits in 2015 to 483 permits in 2024. The head of the Employers' Confederation of Latvia, Andris Bite, believes that in the next 10 years the number of labour migrants in Latvia will double again.
