Lithuania

Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic states, with 2.9 million people, and its employment rate is above the EU average: 80.0% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%).

Unemployment went up from 6.0% in 2022 to 7.1% in 2024 and eased slightly to 6.9% in 2025 – still above the EU average of 6.0%. Youth unemployment is lower than in the EU as a whole: 14.1% among people aged 15–24, compared with 15.2%.

As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a work permit – you can look for a job and start working on the same terms as Lithuanians. The official language is Lithuanian, so check in every job ad which language the employer expects.

The Ministry of Economy and Innovation keeps an official list of high value-added professions with worker shortages (latest version in force from 10 June 2026). It covers:

• IT – software developers, system administrators, data analysts, IT security and network specialists,
• engineering – mechanical, chemical, aviation, welding and robotics engineers,
• electronics and electrical engineering – engineers and technicians,
• science and management – chemists, pharmaceutical and quality-control specialists, chief engineers, R&D managers,
• design – graphic, multimedia and advertising designers.

The EURES labour market information for Lithuania (2025) also lists shortages of machine operators, building trades workers, heavy truck drivers for international transport, welders, electricians, plumbers and logistics managers. There are more jobseekers than jobs for administrative workers, construction labourers and car and taxi drivers.

Regional hubs: Vilnius for IT, biotech and fintech; Kaunas for automotive components, electronics, metalworking and logistics; Klaipėda for the port, the petrochemical industry and tourism.

The public employment service Užimtumo tarnyba offers its services to jobseekers free of charge. As an EU citizen you do not have to register with it to search for jobs. Start here:

• Užimtumo tarnyba – I am looking for a job – vacancy search (“Laisvos darbo vietos”), CV and interview tips,
• EURES Lithuania – job offers, seasonal work and help with moving for work,
• EURES – the EU job portal.

The employment service recommends using several channels at once: tell people you know what kind of job you are looking for, create a LinkedIn profile and send speculative applications to companies that have not advertised a job.

For step-by-step advice on job search, CVs and interviews in any EU country, see our How to find a job abroad – 10 practical guides.

For most jobs you send a CV and a covering letter, sometimes take selection tests and then go to an interview. For manual jobs, a CV and an interview are often enough.

• CV – personal data, contact details, work experience, education, skills, hobbies and references; try to fit it on one A4 page. The Europass CV is increasingly popular in Lithuania.
• Covering letter – one A4 page, written for this company: introduce yourself briefly, say why you want the job and why you are the right person, and back it up with facts.

The interview: find out about the employer and its activities, prepare 2–3 concrete examples of your experience or achievements, and think about your salary expectations in advance.

Diplomas: the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC, the Lithuanian ENIC/NARIC) assesses and recognises foreign qualifications.

• Minimum wage: from 1 January 2026 €1,153 a month and €7.05 an hour (up from €1,038 and €6.35).
• Pay day: wages are paid at least twice a month, or once a month if you ask for it.
• Working time: normally 40 hours a week. Including overtime, no more than 48 hours a week on average, 12 hours a day (without the lunch break) and 60 hours in any week. Overtime is limited to 8 hours a week (12 if you agree) and 180 hours a year.
• Extra pay: overtime and night work are paid at least 1.5 times your normal rate; work on a rest day or public holiday that is not in your schedule at least twice your rate; overtime on a public holiday at least 2.5 times.
• Breaks and rest: a lunch break of 30 minutes to 2 hours after no more than 5 hours of work, at least 11 hours of rest between working days and at least 35 hours of rest every seven days.
• Holidays: at least 20 working days of paid leave a year (24 if you work six days a week).
• Contract: every employment contract must be made in writing.

Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland can work in Lithuania without a work permit, just like Lithuanians. A student or holiday job is normal employment: the written contract, minimum wage and working-time rules apply.

• Age limits: the minimum working age is 14; young people aged 14–16 may only do light work.
• Traineeship (stažuotė) through Užimtumo tarnyba – for people with a qualification who have not worked in that profession for at least 6 months in a row. It lasts up to 6 months, 20–40 hours a week, under an agreement between you, the employer and the employment service. You receive a monthly grant of €449.67 (0.39 of the minimum wage, 2026) or the amount of your unemployment benefit.
• Apprenticeships (pameistrystė) combine about 70% training at work with 30% at a school.

Students from outside the EU may work up to 20 hours a week, without this limit during the summer holidays (doctoral students have no limit).

Thinking of studying there first? See Studying in Lithuania – practical information.

1. Certificate of the right of residence: you can stay up to 3 months without formalities. If you stay longer than 3 months within 6 months, get a certificate confirming your right to reside – the registration certificate of the Union citizen, valid up to 5 years. Apply through the Migration Department’s online system MIGRIS. State fee: €10.
2. Declare your place of residence (gyvenamosios vietos deklaravimas) within 1 month of collecting your residence document – at the Migration Department during your appointment, or at your eldership (seniūnija) or municipality.
3. Social and health insurance: social insurance in Lithuania is run by Sodra and compulsory health insurance by the National Health Insurance Fund (VLK) – ask your employer to confirm that you are insured from your first day of work.
4. Tax: in 2026 income tax on employment income is 20% on yearly income up to €83,237.40, 25% up to €138,729 and 32% above that. If you earn up to the minimum wage, the tax-exempt amount (NPD) is €747 a month; it gets smaller as your pay rises and is zero from €2,677.49 a month.
5. Bank account: wages are usually paid into your bank account, at least twice a month unless you ask for monthly payment.

Problems with your rights as an EU worker? Your Europe Advice and SOLVIT help for free.

If you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you can look for a job on your own, but you need a residence permit that allows you to work before you start. The main routes:

• Graduates of Lithuanian universities can apply for a temporary residence permit for 12 months to look for a job or become self-employed.
• EU Blue Card – for graduates (or ICT specialists with at least 3 years of experience) with a contract of at least 6 months and a salary of at least 1.5 times the Lithuanian average gross wage – or 1.2 times for professions on the official high value-added shortage list. It is valid for up to 3 years.
• Temporary residence permit for work – state fee €160, or €320 for the urgent procedure.

All the conditions and application steps are explained by the Migration Department and on the state portal Work in Lithuania.

• Eurostat – population on 1 January, unemployment by age, employment rate (data for 2025 and 2026),
• EURES – Living and working conditions: Lithuania, labour market information: Lithuania,
• Užimtumo tarnyba – job search and tips, foreigners working in Lithuania, traineeships,
• Ministry of Social Security and Labour – minimum wage 2026 (in Lithuanian), work and rest time,
• State Labour Inspectorate – remuneration, working time and rest,
• Ministry of Economy and Innovation – list of high value-added professions with worker shortages (in Lithuanian),
• State Tax Inspectorate – tax changes from 1 January 2026 (in Lithuanian),
• Migration Department – state fees, declaring your place of residence,
• SKVC – qualification recognition,
• European Commission, EU Immigration Portal – students in Lithuania, EU Blue Card in Lithuania,
• Your Europe – working abroad.

Updated: October 2026.