Survey: 28% of Latvian residents consider their workplace pay system unfair

Nearly one in three Latvian residents (28%) regard the pay system at their workplace as unfair. This follows from a survey by research company Norstat, carried out in October 2026 for the benefits management platform Beneflo, with 1,001 Latvian residents aged 18 to 74 taking part. Among working people only, one in three (34%) call the system unfair. The findings are timely because the European Union is introducing the Pay Transparency Directive, which will affect employers.

Survey results

Asked how fair, or non-discriminatory, the pay system at their workplace is, almost half of respondents (44%) said it is fair or rather fair, while 28% said it is unfair or rather unfair. Another 12% could not answer, and 16% do not have paid employment. One in ten (11%) chose the most extreme answer, “unfair”.

Men and women feel unfairness almost equally: 28% of men and 29% of women consider pay at their workplace unfair. More notable differences appear by income and position. Among people with a net monthly income of 751–1,000 euros, 35% say so, compared with 11% of those earning more than 2,000 euros. The system is seen as unfair by 43% of skilled workers, 34% of office employees and 25% of managers, while 64% of managers consider it fair.

The directive and the gender pay gap

Juris Zālāns, head of Beneflo, says the directive is aimed at narrowing the pay gap between men and women and will require employers to take into account not only salary but also bonuses and benefits. According to him, in some sectors the gap is already twice the average: 35.1% in arts, entertainment and recreation, 30.5% in health and social care, 29.5% in finance and insurance, and 25.8% in ICT. These figures are calculated on monetary pay only.

If the difference between men and women in a category of employees reaches 5% and cannot be explained by objective reasons, the company will have to eliminate it. Large employers will submit their first reports in 2027. Zālāns believes the hardest part for companies will be the data rather than the formula, as benefits are usually scattered across many contracts and receipts.