WOMEN EMPLOYMENT IN LATVIA: THE EFFECT OF FLEXICURITY PRINCIPLES INTEGRATED IN ECONOMIC POLICY.

During the global economic crisis, the employment rates decreased, thus, newly implemented labour market policies became more important. Flexicurity is a new concept for labour market improvements in the European Union by promoting flexibility combined with employment security. One approach to enhance the flexicurity is through part-time and fixedterm employment expansion. The aim of the paper is to analyse women employment to argue for flexicurity in the labour market in Latvia. The descriptive-analytical study of data of Latvian Labour Force Survey (2007 to 2013) is given. During the economic crisis in the years 2009 to 2010, part-time and fixed-term employment rates increased to historically highest levels in Latvia. As it evident, in the part-time and fixed-term employment mostly women with primary education or lower and general secondary education are involved. Together with fact that women in part-time or fixed-term work receive the income corresponding to lowest income group, it is possible to argue that increase in part-time and fixed-term employment has not been simultaneous with the increase in employee security. Flexicurity through flexibility has increased not because a focused labour market policy has been directed but because of the involuntary adjustments in the labour market during the global economic crisis and period of recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]