The share of graduates from upper secondary vocational and higher education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields is still insufficient to reduce the skills shortages required for Latvia’s economic development, according to the latest European Commission report Education and Training Monitor 2025.
The report, which this year focuses on STEM education issues, will be presented on 13 November at the European Education and Skills Summit 2025 in Belgium. All interested parties will be able to follow the publication of the report’s findings online (10:00–18:45 Latvian time).
The report finds that, in general education, Latvia is implementing the integration of STEM skills across various subjects, promoting comprehensive educational development. Schools apply innovative teaching approaches by integrating STEM principles into different subjects in an interdisciplinary manner, emphasising transversal skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. Teachers are encouraged to collaborate and to use information and communication technologies to enrich students’ learning experiences. The aim of this approach is to engage students in practical activities and discussions that foster socially responsible decision-making, thus making STEM a meaningful part of broader learning experiences.
The report highlights that Latvian students generally demonstrate a good level of digital skills; however, efforts to reduce inequalities in digital skills must continue. In 2023, the proportion of students with low digital skills in Latvia was 37%, which is better than the EU average of 43% (IEA ICILS 2023), yet still falls short of the common EU target of reducing the share of students with low digital skills to 15% within the next five years.
In 2023, 46.2% of students in upper secondary vocational education in Latvia were enrolled in STEM fields, which is significantly above both the EU average (36.3%) and the proposed EU-level target of at least 45% by 2030. Latvia’s strong performance is the result of sustained policy efforts to increase participation in STEM-related vocational education. However, despite measures promoting STEM vocational education, in 2023 only 13.2% of students in STEM fields in vocational education were women, which is below the EU average of 15.4% and the proposed EU target of at least 25% by 2030.
The share of students enrolled in STEM higher education programmes in Latvia in 2023 was 25.1%, slightly below the EU average of 26.9%, and still behind the proposed EU target of reaching 32% within the next five years. The proportion of women enrolling in STEM study programmes is comparatively low; therefore, their interest in these fields must be encouraged and supported. Women account for 26.5% of students admitted to STEM programmes, which is lower than the EU average (32.2%) and falls short of the proposed EU target of 40% by 2030.
An exception is information and communication technologies (ICT) study programmes, where the share of students in Latvia is high – 34.1%, compared to the EU average of 20.3%. Women account for one fifth of ICT students, which corresponds to the EU average. The share of doctoral students admitted to ICT programmes in Latvia is 0.4 percentage points lower than the EU average of 3.8%, however, the proportion of women among them is higher, reaching 29.2%, compared to 24.3% in EU Member States.
Latvia’s demographic decline is affecting the labour market. As the workforce shrinks, a shortage of qualified specialists is expected, including in STEM fields. Vacancy data for 2023 indicate that Latvia will face labour shortages in construction (2.8% below the level required to fully meet employer demand), manufacturing (2.5% below the required number of specialists), ICT services (2.5% below the required number of specialists), and health and social care (2.6% below the required number of specialists). According to the medium-term forecasts of the Ministry of Economics, skills shortages will increase in the coming years, with the greatest labour shortages expected in STEM, construction, social care, and health care. The most severe projected shortages are among graduates of mathematics, statistics and ICT higher education programmes, as well as engineering and construction graduates at both higher education and upper secondary vocational education levels. This year, the Council of the European Union adopted a recommendation to “address labour and skills shortages, in particular in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)” and to “strengthen cooperation between businesses and higher education institutions in Latvia.”
The European Commission’s Education and Training Monitor provides in-depth analysis and data on the performance of education systems, while also informing about countries’ progress towards achieving the common objectives of the European Education Area.
The EU comparative report in English and the Latvian translation of the country profile are available on the Education and Training Monitor website.
Participation in international education studies is one of the measures implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science with the support of European Union funds to develop a sustainable and efficient education system and the management of its resources.
