Main Latvian Issues
One of the main issues that Latvia has been facing during last years is the high number of those people, who have chosen to leave their native country in search of a better life. And sadly, most of these people do not return. In this essay I will discuss the 3 main reasons, why people leave Latvia.
Usually, when people are asked for reasons of this action, a popular answer is, because of a better salary. Indeed, the statistics are grim – the most common reason for leaving Latvia is because of the low salary here. Everyone wants to be well-paid for the job he is doing. And unfortunately, out there are plenty enough countries, which can pay a higher wage for a job this person is doing than Latvia. Of course, to overcome this problem Latvia could raise the level of its economy, but it is rather hard to do that if there are not enough people working and paying taxes.
No less important reason for leaving Latvia, in my opinion, is because of better social conditions. These are like government-paid medicine, free or cheaper education, higher pensions, and so on. In Latvia, especially after all the budget cuts, indicators in these areas are very poor, comparing to other EU countries. So there is no wonder that people often choose to go to countries like Germany, UK, Ireland or even Estonia.
However, there are also people, who leave Latvia for just a period of time. These are mostly young people, who simply want to improve their language skills or have praxis. And after this period of time, like 3 or 4 years, they return to Latvia with new knowledge and fresh ideas.
To conclude, I should say I believe that these 3 arguments were the main reasons, why people leave our country, because we are not located at any politically or naturally dangerous area.
According to data from the Ministry of Economics, the majority of Latvian emigrants work in Ireland. Altogether, it is estimated that some 15,000-20,000 Latvians, or according to another source about 35,000
Usually, when people are asked for reasons of this action, a popular answer is, because of a better salary. Indeed, the statistics are grim – the most common reason for leaving Latvia is because of the low salary here. Everyone wants to be well-paid for the job he is doing. And unfortunately, out there are plenty enough countries, which can pay a higher wage for a job this person is doing than Latvia. Of course, to overcome this problem Latvia could raise the level of its economy, but it is rather hard to do that if there are not enough people working and paying taxes.
No less important reason for leaving Latvia, in my opinion, is because of better social conditions. These are like government-paid medicine, free or cheaper education, higher pensions, and so on. In Latvia, especially after all the budget cuts, indicators in these areas are very poor, comparing to other EU countries. So there is no wonder that people often choose to go to countries like Germany, UK, Ireland or even Estonia.
However, there are also people, who leave Latvia for just a period of time. These are mostly young people, who simply want to improve their language skills or have praxis. And after this period of time, like 3 or 4 years, they return to Latvia with new knowledge and fresh ideas.
To conclude, I should say I believe that these 3 arguments were the main reasons, why people leave our country, because we are not located at any politically or naturally dangerous area.
According to data from the Ministry of Economics, the majority of Latvian emigrants work in Ireland. Altogether, it is estimated that some 15,000-20,000 Latvians, or according to another source about 35,000