RIGA, Sept 9 (LETA) - At the end of August this year, the registered unemployment rate in Latvia reached 6.5 percent of the economically active population, down 0.6 percentage points from a month before, according to the State Employment Agency.

At the end of August 2021, there were 59,040 people registered with the State Employment Agency as jobless, which is 5,352 people less than a month before when the jobless register included 64,392 people.

At the end of August, the lowest registered unemployment rate was still in Riga region - 4.7 percent, which is 0.5 percentage point less than a month earlier, but the highest registered unemployment rate remained in Latgale region - 14.9 percent, down 0.7 percentage points from the previous month.

The unemployment rate registered in Zemgale dropped 0.6 percentage points from July, reaching 5.9 percent of the economically active population at the end of the month, the unemployment rate registered in Vidzeme decreased by 0.6 percentage points, reaching 6.4 percent at the end of the month, and the unemployment rate registered in Kurzeme decreased by 0.7 percentage points, accounting for 6.5 percent of the economically active population at the end of the month.

In Riga, registered unemployment declined 0.6 percentage points to 4.6 percent of the capital city's working-age population.

At the end of 2020, the registered unemployment rate in Latvia was 7.7 percent of the economically active population. Last year, the highest unemployment rate in Latvia was 8.6 percent, recorded at the end of June and July.