Young people in Lithuania are changing jobs at a rapid pace, often cycling through several workplaces within a year, prompting employers to adjust schedules and working conditions to retain staff.
Data from the Employment Service show that most young workers do not stay in one job for even a year. In the Panevėžys region, nearly half of young employees leave their workplace within 12 months.
The number of young people who are not studying is also rising. Many take low-skilled jobs and change them frequently, while others seek highly flexible working conditions.
Twenty-six-year-old Panevėžys resident Modestas Pariauka said he began working as soon as he turned 18 and has lost count of how many jobs he has held.
“Over eight years, I’ve changed up to 25 jobs,” he said. “That’s a huge number, because I didn’t know what I really wanted to do.”
Pariauka said it sometimes took weeks to realise a job was unsuitable, while in other cases it became clear within days.
“I worked for three days once, and on the third day I just left,” he said. “After two hours I understood that being a waiter was definitely not for me.”
Employment Service statistics show that about 65% of young people under 29 in the Panevėžys region leave a job within a year, while roughly 46% stay six months or less.
Audronė Biguzienė, head of the Employment Service’s client service department in Panevėžys, said the trend has two main causes.
“One reason is that young people are searching for themselves and need to try several workplaces,” she said. “The other is that their expectations are often higher than what a particular employer can offer.”
Young workers increasingly value flexible schedules and rest time, while pay is no longer cited as the main priority. Twenty-one-year-old Donatas Kuzma, who works at the Lietkabelis factory in Panevėžys, said he specifically sought a job that did not require late-night shifts.
“For me, it’s a big plus that the workday is eight hours and I have free evenings,” he said. “Many companies want people to work 12-hour shifts, but I like to travel and enjoy my free time.”
Lietkabelis CEO Sigitas Gailiūnas said some young workers, however, prefer later start times, prompting employers to adjust.
“One young employee worked for a month and then said the schedule didn’t suit him because he had to wake up too early,” Gailiūnas said. “We changed the schedule. If a young person wants to work and is good, we adapt. Employers understand that today’s youth are different.”
Gailiūnas, who also heads the Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, said the biggest concern is young people without any professional qualifications. Nearly half of job-seeking youth in Panevėžys fall into that category, and 27% say they do not want to study at all.
“It’s strange that young people don’t want to learn when all the conditions are there,” he said. “If vocational guidance in schools were stronger, the situation might change.”
Biguzienė said unqualified youth dominate employment statistics.
“Low-skilled jobs are available – as loaders or packers – but the work is very short-term,” she said. “Employment numbers look high, but people move constantly: some work a week, some a month, then move on.”
Some employers report a different trend: young workers often return after trying other jobs. Gintarė Kitovė, head of communications for grocery chain Iki, said about 600 former employees rejoined the company last year.
“The numbers show that leaving doesn’t always mean leaving for good,” she said.
Employment Service data from 2025 show that in the Panevėžys region, one in 10 young people returned to register with the agency less than a month after starting a job, with many registering for the second or third time – or even more often.
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