Emigration from Latvia: A Brief History and Driving Forces in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

In recent years, Latvia has established itself as one of the top two countries with the most intensive emigration among EU/EFTA member states. This chapter starts by describing the demographic context and the scale of emigration post-2000, followed by a brief history of the main population flows (migration, refugees and deportation) from and to Latvia in the twentieth century. It then offers a more detailed analysis of emigration during the first 15 years of the twenty-first century including a closer look at the four waves of recent emigration: (i) the pre-EU accession wave, 2000–2003; (ii) the post-accession wave, 2004–2008; (iii) the crisis-driven wave, 2009–2010; and (iv) the post-crisis wave, 2011–2016. For each wave, description of the economic and social context is given within a conceptual framework using insights from human capital theory, the new economic theory of migration, network theory and migration systems theory. Institutional factors are also emphasised. Together with some survey-based evidence, this leads to a set of hypotheses about the nature of the four emigration waves. Our own compilation of data from receiving countries (which reveals problems with Latvia’s official migration statistics) is used for documenting the dynamics of the scale and main destinations of this emigration. Empirical analysis of the changes in the reasons for and intended duration of emigration, its effects on the structure and demographic potential of the population and changes in emigrant profiles and selectivity with respect to human capital and ethnicity is based on a number of independent data sources, including the Latvian Labour Force Survey (2000–2015), the Database of Immigrants in OECD Countries (DIOC 2010/2011), and The Emigrant Communities of Latvia survey conducted worldwide in 2014.

Who Is More Eager to Leave? Differences in Emigration Intentions Among Latvian and Russian Speaking School Graduates in Latvia

“…In the first two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, the percentage of minorities, including Russians, who migrated from Latvia far exceeded the proportion of Latvians who migrated. Yet, between 2011-2016, there has been a significant drop in migration of ethic Russians; the difference in percentage points between ethnic Russians and Latvians was only 1.7% (Hazans, 2019).…”

“…Hazans (2016) finds that Russian-speaking population in pre-EU accession time had lower labour market outcomes and hence contained greater emigration potential which materialised in overrepresentation of Russian-speakers among emigrants. While in the 2000s migration of ethnic Russians was double that of Latvians (-11.8%); between 2011-16 the numbers almost converged: the difference was only 1.7 percdentage points (Hazans, 2019). With respect to emigration reasons in ethno-linguistic context, Lulle and Jurkane-Hobein (2016), who interviewed Russian-speaking migrants from Latvia to London, illuminated the crucial role of power positions of being a 'stranger within' on migration decisions.…”

Transnationalism and Settlement of Latvian Emigrants in the Nordic Countries

“…Previous research on migration from Latvia suggests that, over the past decade, the nature of emigration has changed from short-term emigration to the permanent emigration of the whole family (Hazans 2011(Hazans , 2019. Several studies have focused on the sense of belonging, identity and attitudes of the Latvian migrants.…”

“…The concept 'incomplete migration' refers to migrants who work abroad but 'live' in the country of origin, where their families remain and to which they frequently return (Okólski 2001). Recent studies point out that these patterns have changed and that one should talk about the diversity of labour migration patterns and about the trend of transition to longer-term settlement (Friberg 2012;Hazans 2011Hazans , 2019Bygnes & Erdal 2017).…”

“…A sense of belonging and attachment forms within and in relation to a specific setting and different destination countries, as well as different countries of origin and changing migration policies, provide the context for migration experiences. The Nordic countries offer better working and living conditions compared to Latvia, and abroad salaries are an important reason for the most labour emigration from Latvia (Hazans 2019). Latvia as one of the poorest EU countries can hardly compete with the Nordic countries in economic terms and standard of living.…”