ROLE OF EDUCATION IN REDUCTION OF INCOME INEQUALITIES IN LATVIA

Recent years have been challenging in finding solutions to address inequalities, especially in relation to certain branches of national economy. The purpose of the study: suggest a range of educational activities in lifelong learning to increase the employability for certain groups at risk – young people, people before retirement age and in retirement age. The analysis is based on data of the Labour Force Survey, databases of Official Statistics Portal. Methods used – statistical data analysis using time series analysis. The results indicate that lifelong participation has been gaining force in recent years, and a higher share of the population is improving their digital skills. Still, there is a significant part of inhabitants who are excluded from significant mainstream processes, and this tends to prevent them from having appropriate standard of living. This part of the population is typically characterized by low income, low level of information on possible participation in life-long learning activities, lack of access to information technologies (IT) tools and the internet, low level of digital literacy. Innovative solutions of social marketing and the application of positive cases publications are important tools for increasing social inclusion. Virtual contacts and social networking could be added to cultural and business activities. Life-long learning could be more initiated by municipalities and non-governmental organisations in Latvia as other countries have shown wonderful results. Combining complementary digital tools and platforms for the virtual interaction and networking of people from different age groups needs to be used alongside with an appropriate combination of face-to-face contacts.