The Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation (LPSK) does not support the proposal to increase quota for the employment of foreign nationals later this year. The mere fact that the established quota has been exhausted does not, in itself, prove that there is a shortage of workers in the country. First and foremost, it reflects strong demand from employers to employ third-country nationals; therefore, automatically increasing the quota is a flawed approach.

In a normally functioning economy, labour shortages should naturally encourage employers to improve working conditions, raise wages, invest in technology and productivity, and enhance the skills of existing employees. Government policy should not create conditions that allow these necessary market processes to be replaced by a continuous inflow of cheaper labour.

Of particular concern is the transport sector’s dependence on third-country labour – approximately half of all third-country nationals working in Lithuania are currently employed in this sector. This raises an important question: is a business model that is heavily dependent on a continuous inflow of new workers from third countries sustainable in the long term?

LPSK points out that the existing legal framework already provides flexible solutions, and the exhaustion of the quota does not prevent an employer from hiring a foreign national where the need is objectively justified and the employer is prepared to pay the higher level of remuneration established by law.

“For sectors with an objectively justified need for additional labour, there is already an opportunity to address this need through a sectoral collective agreement and a joint proposal by the social partners. We therefore call for a responsible approach: the actual need should be assessed not solely on the basis of unilateral requests from employers, but through constructive social dialogue, balancing the interests of workers, employers and the state,” stresses Dalia Jakutavičė, Acting President of LPSK.

The figures also show that this mechanism can work: in 2025, around 12,000 EU citizens started working in Lithuania – 25.3% more than a year earlier. According to the Employment Service, this growth was driven by improving working conditions and competitive wages.

Therefore, LPSK has addressed Prime Minister of Lithuania Mindaugas Sinkevičius and Minister of Social Security and Labour Inga Ruginienė, calling on them not to support an increase in the quota this year and to adhere to the following principles:

1. Give priority to making jobs more attractive, improving working conditions, raising wages, and investing in productivity and technology.
2. Treat the recruitment of third-country nationals only as a measure of last resort, where an objectively identified need cannot be met by other means.
3. Assess the need for additional labour only through social dialogue mechanisms and sectoral collective agreements.