The Migration Department expects the full quota for employing third-country nationals in Lithuanian industry to be exhausted in the second half of November. However, the industry representatives say the quota is not enough.
Lithuanian transport companies are increasing hiring drivers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, or Kyrgyzstan. More workers are also coming from India, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
“We don’t have enough young people who want to do this difficult job, and drivers who have been doing this job for many years have reached old age, retirement age, or are no longer working, or don’t want to work,” said Romas Austinskas, vice president of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists.
The Lithuanian labour market now includes citizens from 132 countries. Most of them work in industrial jobs. According to the Migration Department, more than four-fifths of the quota for foreigners in industrial jobs has been used up already this year. It is expected that the entire quota – 5,050 workers – will be reached this month.
“There are companies that keep saying that there is a shortage of workers, [...] specific welders, metal constructors, locksmiths, assemblers, machine operators. Because they cannot find labour in Lithuania, they are bringing them in from abroad. That is why the quota has been used up more quickly this year,” said Evelina Gudzinskaitė, head of the Migration Department.
Industrialists complain that there are plenty of people from third countries who want to come to work, but the process of employing them is being made more difficult.
“From December 1, there will be a new procedure that if you are a resident of a country, you can only process your visa documents in that country and you cannot do it in another country. That’s what’s making it difficult for us,” Austinskas said.
Agriculture is the sector that makes the least use of the quota for employing third-country nationals. However, interest in employing foreigners among farmers is growing.
“Recruitment is complicated because usually a farmer cannot recruit, as it has to be done through a company, and then there are other legal complications,” noted Ignas Hofmanas, chairman of the Agriculture Council.
Currently, the quotas for employing third-country nationals are divided into four areas: industry, services, agriculture, and construction. However, from January next year, there will be a single quota, and employers will be able to hire foreigners without a permit from the Employment Service as long as the quota is not exceeded. Once the quota is exceeded, no more third-country workers could be brought in.
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