The Baltic Human Capital and Work Environment Survey has just been conducted in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and gathered the views of both employers and employees on the importance of the working environment and its impact on productivity and career development, which provided an in-depth insight into current working environment trends and future challenges.
Baltic Human Capital and Work Environment survey 2025
Explore the results of the survey (PDF, 1.5 MB)
Employer There are different approaches to human capital development issues in the Baltic region
The strategic emphasis on addressing human capital challenges remains uneven and relatively limited
Employers recognise the crucial importance of talent attraction, innovation and effective management for long-term growth, but there is a significant gap between this acknowledgement and targeted action.
A similar situation is found in Lithuania (15%), but the respondents in Estonia are more concerned about this issue, where 31% of the employers surveyed indicate the existence of a strategy. More than 40% of employers surveyed in the Baltics (Latvia 47%, Lithuania 48, and Estonia 41%) reveal that they do not have a specific strategy in place, but they deal with acute issues reactively.
Employers are investing in dual strategies: automating routine functions and simultaneously building inclusive workplaces
To ensure the development of the competencies and skills required for future needs, employers in Latvia mainly choose to offer standardised training programmes for both regular employees (16%) and management-level employees (12%), as well as automate specific functions (11%). In Lithuania, respondents prefer to automate functions (17%), while respondents in Estonia indicate that they focus on creating an inclusive and growth-oriented work environment (11%) and recruit new employees with the necessary skills (11%). Creating an inclusive and growth-oriented work environment is also important among respondents in Lithuania (15%), while only 9% of organisations surveyed in Latvia mention it.
Employer Organizations are gradually focusing on understanding and structuring the field
Inclusive work environment is considered important in attracting and retaining talent
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives are not yet widely implemented in organisations, suggesting that many employers are still in an early stage of maturity and are exploring the opportunities and benefits of inclusive environments. While the vast majority of employers surveyed in the Baltics acknowledge that the role of an inclusive workplace in attracting and retaining talent is important or even very important (more than 70% in each of the Baltic states), more than a third of employers surveyed in the Baltics, when describing the approach of their organisation to diversity management and inclusive workplaces, indicate that their organisation is only gradually moving towards understanding and addressing this area.
Approaches and priorities differ in each country
The survey data shows that employers are mainly focusing on immediate and short-term benefits, missing out on the long-term strategic advantages that an inclusive work environment can provide. Respondents in Latvia highlight the support provided by HR (human resources) and D&I teams (16%), established reporting mechanisms (13%) and regular D&I training programmes for employees (13%) as priorities for addressing these challenges. Employers in Lithuania also highlight the importance of regular training (16%), with mediation and conflict resolution measures also identified as important (14%), which in turn is a priority among Estonian respondents (18%).
The survey results reveal that employers acknowledge the importance of an inclusive working environment within modern organizations. However, there exists a variety of differences, contradictions, and inconsistencies in how organizations approach and understand this concept. Notably, there is a clear absence of a strategic, targeted approach, which often misaligns with employee expectations.
PhD. Agnese Cimdiņa,Head of the Pan-Baltic Diversity and Inclusion practice, PwC Latvia
41% surveyed organisations in Latvia, 46% in Lithuania and 33% in Estonia are in the process of gradually addressing and building awareness of D&I, suggesting that a large share of employers are still in the early stages of understanding and engagement. A smaller proportion of organisations actively implement and prioritise D&I efforts. Estonia leads in this regard, with nearly one in five organisations (18%) taking an active and strategic approach. Latvia follows with 16%, while in Lithuania only 6% of organisations report the same level of commitment, indicating room for further progress. 30% of respondents in Lithuania state that D&I is “not on the radar”, while in Latvia and Estonia a smaller share of respondents hold the same view — 16% and 18%.These findings highlight the need to raise awareness and build the capacity of organisations to move from recognition to action in managing diversity and fostering inclusive work environments.
Employee Employees value inclusive work environments when choosing an employer
Employees surveyed in the Baltics agree that an inclusive working environment is a very important and relevant factor when choosing an employer. 86% of respondents in Latvia, 97% in Lithuania, and 98% in Estonia highlight this as an important or very important factor. Equally important for employees is the interest and ability of the employer to attract employees with different skills and experience. Given the importance of this topic for employees, only 29% of employees surveyed in Latvia say they feel fully included and valued in their workplaces, compared to 27% in Lithuania, and 23% in Estonia.
The percentage is even higher in Lithuania and Estonia, at 54% and 57% respectively. One in five respondents in the Baltics also said that this was the reason he or she chose to change his or her current job, while the main motivators for staying in their current job are very diverse according to the employees surveyed, mainly emphasising competitive pay, the importance of a friendly team and supportive manager, growth challenges, and social guarantees.
The data from this survey point to the need for targeted changes to promote a more inclusive and productive working environment in organisations in the Baltic region. Diversity is a reality that concerns us all and issues of inclusion in the workplace are nowadays not merely a matter of ethics or reputation – they have become a strategic necessity that has a significant impact on the competitiveness, sustainability and employee loyalty of employers.
Irena Arbidane,Director, Pan-Baltic People & Organisation Leader, PwC LatviaAbout the survey
The Human Capital and Working Environment Survey was conducted online between 4 and 24 April 2025. A total of 324 employers and 2620 employees in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia participated in the survey. The surveyed companies represent sectors such as manufacturing, IT and telecommunications, construction, agriculture, entertainment, finance, trade, healthcare, etc. The survey was organised by PwC Latvia in cooperation with Alma Career (formerly CV-Online), an online recruitment and talent acquisition company in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Baltic Human Capital and Work Environment survey 2025
Explore the results of the survey (PDF, 1.5 MB)
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