Before hiring employees in Latvia, there are a few important things you’ll need to know. Firstly, in Latvia, employees are entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave. This can be divided in several parts, but at least one of them must be of at least two subsequent weeks.
In Latvia, employment can be terminated by either party as long as "appropriate" notice is given, which can be between 10 and 30 days.
We know this might sound overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. A solution like Oyster eliminates the barriers for you. With Oyster, you can automate compliance across 180+ countries, easily managing HR and payroll—all in one, easy-to-use platform.
Get an overview of what you need to know when hiring in Latvia below.
Normal working hours in Latvia are eight hours per day and 40 hours per week.
Any overtime work over the standard hours is paid at double the rate of regular wages.
Overtime work cannot exceed eight hours on average within a seven-day period, calculated in a reference period that does not exceed four months.
The probationary period in Latvia is no more than three months.
Employment can be terminated by either party as long as "appropriate" notice is given, which can be between 10 and 30 days.
The notice period for resignations is one month.
Non-compete agreements must be clear and not exceed two years in duration. During the non-competition period, the employee is entitled to compensation amounting to at least 40% of their average salary at the time of the termination.
Employees in Latvia are entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave. This can be divided in several parts, but at least one of them must be of at least two subsequent weeks.
Employees in Latvia are entitled to 10 days of employer-paid sick leave. For these 10 days, they are paid 75% of their salary for days two to three, and at 80% of their salary for days four to 10.
From the 11th day onwards, the employee must provide a medical certificate in order to apply for social support in the form of sick pay, which is paid at 80% of their salary for up to 26 weeks.
In Latvia, an employer’s total social contributions total are around 24%.
In Latvia, employees pay a flat rate income tax of 23%. Employees pay social security tax at a rate of around 11%. In Latvia, income levels above EUR62,800 are subject to solidarity tax, paid at the same rate as social security contributions.
Employees should be paid a severance pay according to their length of service. The breakdown is as follows:
Setting up a business entity everywhere you want to hire a new employee isn’t scalable—it takes too long and the legal fees are high. At the same time, understanding and adhering to the local labor laws and employee expectations can be complex and time consuming. And it’s hard to find reliable information on up-to-date employment information for all the countries where you’re considering hiring. Not to mention tracking down invoices and managing employee contracts over email and spreadsheets—that gets messy fast.
We can’t afford to take risks when it comes to compliance—we need to make sure we follow the local guidelines, especially when it comes to taxes and legalities.
With Oyster, you can manage HR and payroll, and automate compliance across 180+ countries—all in one, easy-to-use platform.
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