LABOUR MARKET TRENDS AND OCCUPATIONAL INTERESTS OF YOUTH IN LATVIA

The 21st century has witnessed significant changes in the labour market and production structure. It is important to forecast these changes on an on-going basis in order to ensure a balance between the demand in the labour market for workers with adequate qualifications and their supply. The aim of the paper is to study the labour market forecasts for Latvia and on their basis to find out whether the present structure of the education system will meet the labour market demands for professionals with appropriate qualifications, to detect problems and to propose possible solutions. To achieve the purpose of this study, the paper describes the present situation in the labour market; the development trends of the labour market in Latvia were analysed up to 2030 and broken down by sectors of national economy and occupational groups, as well as by changes in educational levels and academic disciplines. The finding of the study is that the present structure of higher education does not match the forecasts for the development of the labour market, concerning the demand for specialists with the highest qualifications in particular. The occupational interests of the young people who were interviewed are not harmonised with the demand in the economy. This proves that, in order to coordinate further directions for action between the employment, education and structural policy makers, social partners and scientists, it is important to take into consideration labour market forecasts and their analysis so that a balanced development would be facilitated in accordance with the demands of today\u27s labour market

The presence of violence at work of health care personnel and their work ability

Proportion of health care workers of those who believe that the work in progress threatens their health and safety is higher than the average in other sectors. Workers in health care facilities are especially exposed to violence in the workplace [1]. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the presence of violence at work and determination of its effect on the working ability of health care sector workers. The study included the survey of 132 emergency department employees (doctors, physician assistants, nurses) from Kurzeme Region hospitals (Latvia). Questionnaire of violence in the workplace of the health care sector workers and the work ability index assessment questionnaire were used for the data collection. It was found that medical staff of health care establishments experience mostly verbal abuse (97%), less from physical attacks (36%), and intimidation/bullying (30%). The study found that medical personnel are aware of the changes implemented in the workplace (29%), there has been no change (33%), while the impact of changes implemented by medical staff at the workplace has not been experienced (47%). For personnel who have suffered from violence in the workplace, working capacity is generally lower than for the personnel that has not experienced violence in the workplace

The presence of violence at work of health care personnel and their work ability

Proportion of health care workers of those who believe that the work in progress threatens their health and safety is higher than the average in other sectors. Workers in health care facilities are especially exposed to violence in the workplace [1]. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the presence of violence at work and determination of its effect on the working ability of health care sector workers. The study included the survey of 132 emergency department employees (doctors, physician assistants, nurses) from Kurzeme Region hospitals (Latvia). Questionnaire of violence in the workplace of the health care sector workers and the work ability index assessment questionnaire were used for the data collection. It was found that medical staff of health care establishments experience mostly verbal abuse (97%), less from physical attacks (36%), and intimidation/bullying (30%). The study found that medical personnel are aware of the changes implemented in the workplace (29%), there has been no change (33%), while the impact of changes implemented by medical staff at the workplace has not been experienced (47%). For personnel who have suffered from violence in the workplace, working capacity is generally lower than for the personnel that has not experienced violence in the workplace