There are voices that do not seek attention, only understanding. They speak not from platforms or offices, but from lived experience — from the quiet spaces between job interviews, unanswered emails, and nights spent calculating how long stability might last.
Zigmunds describes himself as a representative of a disappearing profession. His skills, once reliable, now seem to belong to another time. As demand fades, so too does certainty. What remains is anxiety — not abstract, but immediate.
“I’m afraid of ending up on the street in winter,” he says, not as drama, but as fact. In Latvia’s labor market, he explains, finding work has become increasingly difficult for people whose professions no longer align with current demand.
Zigmunds’ story reflects a broader challenge facing many workers. Economic transitions, digitalization, and structural shifts have altered what employers seek. Experience, once a guarantee, can suddenly feel invisible.
Despite willingness to work and adapt, retraining often requires time, money, and emotional resilience. For those already living close to the edge, the gap between losing a job and gaining new qualifications can feel dangerously wide.
Employment services acknowledge these pressures. Programs exist to support reskilling and job placement, yet navigating them is not always simple — particularly for individuals already under stress.
For Zigmunds, each passing month carries uncertainty. The fear is not only unemployment, but what follows it: loss of housing, dignity, routine. Winter, with its costs and cold, amplifies that fear.
His words do not accuse. They reveal. Behind labor statistics and policy discussions live people measuring their futures in weeks, not years.
In a changing economy, progress often moves faster than protection. And sometimes, it is in these personal stories that the cost of transition becomes most visible.
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Sources LSM – Latvijas Sabiedriskie Mediji LETA News Agency State Employment Agency of Latvia (NVA) Ministry of Welfare of Latvia Labor market research institutions