Employers' body urges President Rinkēvičs to join debate on foreign labor recruitment

The Latvian Employers' Confederation (LDDK) has sent a letter to President Edgars Rinkēvičs asking him to get involved in restoring a professional, constructive dialogue on foreign labor recruitment in Latvia.

The organization stresses that combating illegal migration must be clearly separated from questions of legal labor recruitment. LDDK says it fully supports strict action against illegal migration, sham employment and abuse of residence permits, but argues that legally recruiting foreign workers in sectors lacking local specialists is a distinct labor-market issue.

Criticism of proposed solutions

The confederation says it is concerned that problems identified by the Interior Ministry — insufficient oversight, disconnected state data systems, and excessive administrative burden — are not being addressed properly. Instead, it says, proposals aim to restrict or ban legal forms of employment, which would add further administrative and financial burden on law-abiding companies and could also affect the state social budget.

LDDK director general Kaspars Gorkšs notes that banning legal employment forms will not improve oversight but will instead increase the burden on companies that already comply with the rules.

State Audit Office findings

LDDK also points to a State Audit Office review published on September 9 on whether Latvia's work permit issuance system functions effectively, which found that existing state data is not sufficiently used. The audit office says the system should be more responsive to labor market needs, the permit process should be faster and more proportionate administratively, and oversight of how granted permits are used should be more effective.

Employer representatives say an unclear and constantly shifting approach to foreign labor recruitment is no longer just a labor-market matter, as it also affects Latvia's international competitiveness and investment climate, since companies weigh both labor availability and regulatory predictability when making investment decisions.

LDDK is calling on the president to use his institutional authority to bring together responsible state institutions, social partners and NGOs to find solutions for more effective oversight while building a predictable labor recruitment system suited to Latvia's economic needs. The confederation says it is ready to actively participate in such a dialogue.

As previously reported, Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava is advancing a plan to restrict immigration, including quotas for third-country nationals and limits on their work via platforms such as Bolt and Wolt. The plan was not placed on the government's agenda on September 1 due to objections from coalition partners.