Work and life balance – the new age management matter

Even apart from the dramatic statistical data about sicknesses caused by imbalance and burnout, surveys make it clear that individuals are struggling to enjoy living because of the growing workload and the persistent presence of technologies around us (EQLS, 2016). Work-life imbalance causes loss for companies for several reasons - intentional or unintentional absence at work, high employee turnover, low productivity, insurance costs etc. The scientific question arises from the fact that until now there have not been clear researches which indicate the model of how the work and life balance (WLB) or imbalance is being created. Particularly, author is interested in how the interaction between the values of employee and employer or direct supervisor affects WLB of the employee. However, before practical research the aim of this paper is to evaluate the importance of this topic in Latvia and to detect the major steps to even the balance out between work and private life by using the data that is already available. The methodology of the research is to gather local (i.e. TNS) and international (i.e.EUROSTAT) secondary data available to assess the current situation in Latvia. The research shows that unemployed people in Latvia tend to feel less stressed than those who are employed, which shows that although unemployment itself may cause stress, workplace and employment creates even a greater room for stress related factors. Further author is determined to conduct a research to later provide a model, which could be practically used by managers to help them with managing the WLB for their employees

Imagining and producing the 'good' migrant: the role of recruitment agencies in shaping bodily goodness

This paper focuses on representations of labour migrants and interrogates how such imaginaries shape migrant recruitment and employment regimes. The recruitment and employment of labour migrants inevitably involves a range of knowledge practices which affect who is recruited, from where and for what purposes. In particular this paper seeks to advance understandings of how images of ‘bodily goodness’ are represented graphically and how perceptions of migrant workers influence the recruitment of workers from Latvia. The analysis results in a schema of the ‘filtering’ processes that are enacted to ‘produce’ the ‘ideal’ migrant worker

FUTURE MIGRATION DECISIONS: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

The volatile political and institutional scene in Europe implies that future migration-related decision making can be re-assessed. Implications that migrants face might lead to a remarkable shift in migration trajectories and the need to adopt various future geographic mobility decisions. Therefore, this paper demonstrates to what extent the experimental approach can illustrate future migration-related decision making. This study explores the geographic selectivity of migration intensions of international students under four hypothetical scenarios.  The data was collected in 2019 from a sample of international students in Latvia, accounting for 500 experimental participants.The findings suggest that majority of international students studying in Latvia would prefer relocation. Besides, it is indicative that institutional barriers such as the need for a visa are much less critical than economic conditions, wage level and overall quality of life. Such indicative factors as wage level increase in Latvia would substantially boost the possibility to stay in Latvia; however, changes related to family or personal reasons are essential triggers for the students to return to their home countries.

RETURN MIGRATION TRENDS IN LATVIA: RE-ATTRACTING THE MAIN HUMAN RESOURCE FOR SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This study is devoted to the research of human resources as a main source of sustainable regional development in Latvia. It is focused on two key concepts of human capital and migration. The aim of the study is to explore return migration geographies by looking at young return migrants as a resource and preconditions for sustainable regional development essential to Latvia.Return migration to the regions of Latvia is examined by two main research questions. What are the most recent return migrant characteristics in Latvia? How does return migration of young Latvians translates into regional geographies of return migration?Drawing on most recent available statistical data we elaborate on the return migration trends in Latvia, look at particular geographies of return migrants to the regions of Latvia. Findings show that return migrants are working age accompanied with their offspring’s, majority not married and return from another European country to the capital and other largest cities and surrounding municipalities. Even more, only ethnicity and country of previous residence serve as return migration predictor. 

Overcoming the crisis : the changing profile and trajectories of Latvian migrants

The work was funded by the National Research Programme [grant number 5.2.4] and the Latvian Council of Sciences [grant number 514/2012].Taking mobility between Latvia and Western Europe as an empirical lens, this analysis explores the complex relationship between spatial disparities in earning potential and migration. The very dramatic shifts in the economic and political context against which migration from Latvia has occurred over the period 2004-2012 make it an especially apposite focus of research investigating the link between mobility and labour market circumstances. As an analytical starting point, conventional economic theory broadly explains the movement of workers from lower to higher wage regions. However this investigation seeks to contribute to understandings of the economic drivers of migration through consideration of the effects of the Great Recession on not only the volume of flows from Latvia to higher wage economies elsewhere in Europe, but also on the characteristics of the migrants themselves and of the processes that produce their mobility. This is undertaken through analysis of a large scale online survey of Latvian emigrants in five European countries. The findings point towards the Great Recession creating a distinctive cohort of reluctant ‘crisis migrants’. Analytically the quantitative and qualitative attributes of this new phase of mobility raise a number of conceptually significant questions about understandings of the economy – migration nexus.PostprintPeer reviewe

THE GEOGRAPHY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN LATVIA’S HIGHER EDUCATION: PREROGATIVE OR ‘SECOND CHANCE’

This paper links geographies of in-flow international students to the higher education system in Latvia and destination country choice rationales. Latvia welcomes international students from diverse geographies. Besides specific sourcing countries like Germany and India, there are also considerably constant and stable flows from former Soviet countries. International students are both an essential source of revenue for higher education institutions and to some extent, replacement of decrease of local students. This study adopts a mixed-method approach and based on the analysis of official statistical data and survey data. The survey reveals views on decision-making process and motives of current full-time international students in Latvia. The results indicate that to an extent, geography sets the main motives for study choice in Latvia. Seldom Latvia is set as the only priority destination country. On the one hand, among others balanced costs and accessibility of quality education in English attract foreign students, thus providing ‘second chance’ to be successful. On the other hand, Latvia gives the prerogative to have education in the European Union which for long-distance travelled students is a life-time opportunity.

THE EXPECTED DEMOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE PROVISION OF EDUCATION SERVICES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOODS OF RIGA

This paper discusses the spatial extent of population change and provides new insights into the relationships between demographic characteristics and the provision of education services in urban neighbourhoods of Riga. Thus, our empirical evidence confirms that the provision of social infrastructure is fundamentally dependent on the nature of demographic processes. The aim of this paper is twofold: to explore the spatial extent of changes in the number of pre-school and school-aged children in Riga, and to assess how the demographic change of particular age cohorts are associated with the provision of educational establishments at the neighbourhood level. Using available statistics and based on calculations, this article reveals how the interplay between demographic and education related characteristics could be used in the analysis of particular age groups. The main findings show that educational institutions in capital city are distributed unevenly. Similarly, there is a great variety in demographic development between the urban neighbourhoods of Riga. Thus, unmatched demand for educational facilities or lacking specific types of institutions altogether create additional load in the neighbourhoods of inner-city, while increasing daily mobility of children and their parents.

Work-life balance during the COVID-19 outbreak: the case of Latvia

This paper aims to shed light on work-life balance in Latvia during the state of emergency. The COVID-19 outbreak has led many governments to introduce lockdowns. While the restrictions imposed may help to contain the spread of the virus, they may also result in substantial damage to the well-being of the population. The COVID-19 outbreak in Latvia demonstrates the extent and ways in which socio-demographics has determined different patterns of behaviour, attitudes, employment changes and harmonised work and life balance. The study describes the development of COVID-19 in the country chronologically. It shows labour migration to and from Latvia before the COVID-19 outbreak, and then discusses geographical features of the distribution of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The extent of the COVID-19 threat is assessed focusing on the global, national, regional and intra-family levels. Finally, types of employment and work-life balance are analysed according to the geography and age groups