The economic and labour market consequences of Covid-19 were immediate, significant and lasting, with longterm negative effects on global economic development and activity in general. The global virus pandemic is having a profound effect on the labour market with a sharp rise in the number of unemployed, which are at high risk of becoming long-term unemployed as the pandemic drags on, some of whom will not return to the labour market. The outbreak of Covid-19 and the measures taken to combat it are leading to a rapid demand for unemployment benefits, but a large proportion of the unemployed registered with employment agencies are not actively involved in job search or do not want to establish an employment relationship at all. It is important to track and describe the major changes in the labour market around the world, but the restrictions that are being put in place to combat Covid-19 pose a huge obstacle to conventional data collection approaches and activities. Within the framework of this study, the unemployed in Latvia were interviewed in order to find out and evaluate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the unemployment rate and the unemployed in Latvia. The aim of the article is to find out problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which are related to the unemployed and which need to be solved in Latvia, and possibly also in other European and other countries of the world.

In 2020, the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries faced an unprecedented challenge and had to implement many strict measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but this led to a significant increase in unemployment, thus harming economic growth. This study analyzes the data obtained in two surveys, the first survey was conducted in the months of October, November 2020 (during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic), while the second survey was conducted in October 2022. Slightly more than 200 unemployed Latvians participated in both surveys. In the article, the author analyzes the data obtained from the surveys, thus revealing the shortcomings of the labor market that must be eliminated in order to increase resilience and readiness for similar crises in the future.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world of work has been both devastating and far-reaching. In order to reduce the unemployment rate, it is necessary to increase motivation and incentives to look for a job, to improve readiness for work and help to find a suitable job, as well as to expand employment opportunities. Public employment services have become an important point for jobseekers, giving workers and employers access to a number of passive and active labour market support mechanisms. Active labour market policies are a key tool through which welfare states seek to improve the employment prospects of the unemployed. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the impact of active labour market policies and programs are needed to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of policies in responding to the needs of different groups. This study analyzes the data obtained from the survey of the unemployed with the aim of finding out how actively the unemployed cooperate with the state employment service and use services offered by it, as well as to reveal the possible shortcomings and shortcomings of this society, so that it is possible to eliminate them and increase the efficiency of this cooperation.

The fundamental research question of this article is to examine the impact of the Covid- 19 crisis on the labour market and employment. In particular, the target groups of the study are the most vulnerable and those most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic: low paid workers, women and young people. The article analyses the impact of the Covid- 19 pandemic on the employment of selected groups of the population and offers solutions to promote and maintain this employment, taking into account the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic waves may recur or have to face another disease pandemic. Based on the findings and information in the scientific literature, official statistics, as well as open sources and documentary material on global and European employment stabilization policies, employment protection and social security measures, it has been possible to make politically important findings and suggest possible scenarios. The study found that more attention needs to be paid to improving the digital skills of the low-skilled, women and the unemployed, while assessing whether distance learning is useful in this case. Women should be identified as a separate target group for employment measures, for example, in Latvia, women are not singled out. Support measures for working parents with children under 12 should be established. All of these discoveries have important political implications.

The Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected persons with disabilities in the world; the number of deaths caused by the pandemic has largely affected persons with disabilities as reported by United Nations. However, people with disabilities not only faced greater health impacts, but were also affected by worsening economic situation. Many persons with disabilities were dismissed from work, but many unemployed persons with disabilities stopped looking for work. The pandemic has halted the progress that had been made in recent years in the employment of people with disabilities. The aim of this article is to identify the factors that contributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which impaired the employability of people with disabilities. Two studies were conducted to compare the impact of the pandemic on the employment of people with disabilities in Latvia � one in November 2020 and the other in November 2022. As a result, the authors propose possible solutions to promote the return of persons with disabilities to the labour market.