At the same time, according to the State Data Agency, in June 2026 there were 35,354 job vacancies in Lithuania.
The greatest shortage of workers is in manufacturing, transportation and storage, construction, administrative and support activities, accommodation and food service sectors.
Companies have long been unable to find local employees for many of these jobs.
Vacant job positions do not fill due to administrative restrictions
Blow to regional industry
Once the quota is used up, one of the main remaining options to employ a foreigner is to commit to paying them no less than 1.2 times the country’s average monthly gross wage. Currently, this amounts to 2,893.68 euros per month.
What such a requirement would mean in practice is illustrated by the example of a member of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists (LPK) operating in one region.
A company competing in the global market could currently employ nearly a hundred pipefitters, assemblers, welders, scaffolders, and metal structure painters.
According to the company, due to the set threshold, the entire wage system for production workers would have to be raised by about 20%.
If a newly hired foreigner is set a significantly higher wage than existing employees doing the same job, the employer would have to review not only the new employee’s salary but also those of hundreds of people doing similar work.
Higher wages would then justifiably be expected by specialists and managers as well.
A company competing in the global market could not automatically pass such a cost increase on to customers.
Therefore, the consequence would not be a universal wage increase, but lost orders, halted investments, reduced production volumes, and for some companies – even cessation of operations.
LPK warns that the greatest risk arises for exporting companies. They compete in the global market and cannot simply pass rising costs onto product prices.
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“Vacant job positions do not fill due to administrative restrictions. When a company cannot find a welder, machine operator, or other needed specialist for months on end, a foreign worker is not a cheaper alternative to a Lithuanian person – often it is the only way to fulfill an order. And the order will not wait: if a Lithuanian company does not fulfill it, it will go to a factory in another country. Along with it, income, investments, and taxes will leave Lithuania, and in the long run, there may be a threat even to existing jobs,” says LPK Director General Raminta Radavičienė.
Foreign worker – not a cheaper alternative
The company “Metalistas Group” operating in Panevėžys could currently employ 20 qualified workers – welder-assemblers, machine operators, wet painting specialists, and representatives of other professions. Specialists from foreign countries make up about a quarter of all group employees.
According to Mantas Gudas, Chairman of the Board and Director of “Metalistas Group,” the cost of hiring a foreign worker is not limited to the salary. The company must cover the costs of employee search, selection, documents, travel, accommodation, integration, and training. In the first months, the productivity of a new employee is often significantly lower.
“After evaluating and calculating everything, you realize that hiring third-country nationals is not really a saving; on the contrary, it is a workaround, and the priority always remains the local specialist, who are simply insufficient in the market,” says M. Gudas.
Decisions needed now
LPK, together with the Lithuanian Employers’ Confederation, the Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts Association, and the Lithuanian Business Confederation, has appealed to the Government and responsible ministries.
This year’s quota accounts for only 0.9% of Lithuania’s permanent population, although the law allows it to be increased to 1.4%. Therefore, business organizations urge the Government to immediately take advantage of this opportunity, protect already initiated employment procedures, and compensate for the quota portion used for applications started in 2025.
The number of quota units used does not show how many new employees actually arrived in Lithuania. The same person can use more than one quota unit per year due to repeated applications, employer changes, or returns after a break. Therefore, business organizations propose applying the principle “one person – one quota unit per year” and publicly publishing detailed quota usage statistics.
LPK also proposes linking the 2,893.68 euro threshold to the salary of a specific profession, sector, or region or reinstating the labor market test. If there is no worker with the required qualification in Lithuania, the company should be allowed to employ a foreigner for the same wage as local employees doing the same job.
“If Lithuania truly aims to catch up with Finland by 2035, we cannot stop companies that already have orders today and could create more value. Investments in technology, automation, and employee training are a long-term answer to the labor shortage, but their results will not appear in a few months. Now a solution is needed that will allow companies to continue production, invest, and maintain jobs in Lithuania,” emphasizes R. Radavičienė.
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