Lithuania is currently facing labor shortages in various sectors, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, food production, and hospitality. To address these shortages, the Lithuanian authorities have taken steps to attract foreign workers, including war refugees, into the labor market.
One measure that has been implemented is the suspension of the “Labor Market” test for Ukrainian migrant workers, allowing them to work in Lithuania without clearance from the Lithuanian Employment Service. This has facilitated immediate access to employment for temporarily displaced Ukrainians, with the number of war refugees from Ukraine working in Lithuania doubling in 2023 and exceeding 26,000.
According to Aleksandras Masaliovas, a partner at CEE Attorneys, many of these Ukrainian war refugees are employed in the transport, production, wholesale, and retail trade industries, which have all been experiencing labor shortages in recent years.
In addition to these measures, the European Labour Authority (EURES) has identified a shortage of workers in a wide range of occupations in Lithuania. These include woodworking machine tool setters and operators, specialist medical practitioners, plumbers and pipefitters, electrical engineers, cooks, and many others. Foreigners who belong to any of these occupations have higher chances of securing a work visa if they wish to work in Lithuania.
To help foreigners integrate into the labor market, the Lithuanian Employment Service is offering financing for language courses for job seekers and those already employed. These language training programs are organized for EU/European Free Trade Organization citizens and their family members living in Lithuania, as well as for citizens of third countries who have a residence permit in Lithuania.
For citizens coming from EU/EEA countries, no visa is required to work in Lithuania, but they must register their stay after three months in the country. Non-citizens of EU/EEA countries are required to obtain a work visa, and they must choose from four work permits, depending on their job application.
Despite the work visa requirement, Lithuania is considered one of the easiest EU countries to secure a work visa, second only to Estonia. Additionally, the country was listed among the best EU countries to work for those interested in a four-day working week, as the government enacted legislation in 2021 allowing parents with young children to work four days a week.
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