Lithuania nears annual foreign worker quota
Lithuania is on the verge of exhausting its annual quota for employing non-EU foreign nationals, which could impact the logistics sector. Once the limit is reached, stricter salary requirements will apply for work permits.
Lithuania's Migration Department announced on Thursday that the country is close to depleting its annual quota for hiring foreign workers from outside the European Union. As of July 27, employers had used about 20,260 of the 24,830 quotas allocated for this year, with an additional 4,140 applications still under consideration. The quota applies universally across all professions, job functions, and business sectors.
According to the department, once the ceiling is reached, work-based temporary residence permits will only be issued if the foreigner's salary is at least 1.2 times the national average gross monthly wage, currently at €2,893. Alternatively, for those in high-value-added professions facing shortages in Lithuania, the salary must meet the average gross monthly wage of €2,411.4.
Reaching the quota before the end of July has hit the logistics sector hard, the International Transport and Logistics Alliance (TTLA) told the business daily Verslo Žinios on Thursday. The alliance criticized the quota calculation, saying it relies on outdated data that does not reflect current market conditions. TTLA warned that transport companies will likely face difficulties in maintaining existing operations and may be unable to expand their activities.
