Living and working conditions in Lithuania

1. Living and working conditions in Lithuania 9 May 2010 BialystokEURES adviser Sonata Marcinkevičiūtė E-mail:sonata.marcinkeviciute@ldb.lt

2. Location Lithuania is located at the western end of the East European Plain, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. It borders: • Latvia to the north (576 km) • Belarus to the east and south (660 km) • Russian Federation, Kaliningrad district to the south west and south (273 km) • Poland to the south west and south (103 km) Target country: Lithuania

3. Location Target country: Lithuania

4. General information • Full country name: Republic of Lithuania • Area:65,300 sq km • Population: approx. 3.32 million habitants • Capital city: Vilnius (pop. over 560,000) • Official language: Lithuanian • Currency: Lithuanian Litas (LTL) • Ethnic groups: 84.6% Lithuanian, 6.3% Polish, 5.1% Russian • Religion: 79% Roman Catholic • Independence Day: 16 February Target country: Lithuania

5. SITUATION IN LABOR MARKET 2010m. april 1th • Unemployment rate in Lithuania - 14,3% • 1st of April, 2010 : • Unemployed registered - 307,1 thousand • out of them: women - 129,1 th. (12 % ) • Men - 178,0 th. (16,5% ) • Young unemployed up to 25 years - 44.3 thousand or 14.4% • Long-term unemployed - 76,8 th. • Receiving unemployment benefits 68,0 th. Target country: Lithuania

6. Labour market situation (2010March 1st) Target country: Lithuania

7. Working conditions in Lithuania Opportunities for unskilled workers: • manufacturing industry labourers • transport labourers and transshippers • domestic and related helpers, cleaners, launderers • garbage collectors ,yard keepers • Couriers,messengers and related workers. Target country: Lithuania

8. Opportunities for specialists: business service managers sales agents administrators accountants sales agents General education teachers Engineers Stock clerks Opportunities for service employees and qualified workers: Salesman and product demonstartors cooks tailors heavy truck and lorry drivers Carpenters,painters and building finishers Bakers and confectionery makers welders barmen and waiters Working conditions in Lithuania Target country: Lithuania

9. Shortages on the Labour market Shortages -medical doctors, high qualified accountants, finance specialists, cooks, welders, lorry drivers. Target country: Lithuania

10. Surpluses on the Labour market Surpluses – unskilled jobseekers, agriculture workers, sewing-machine operators (in some regions), primary school teachers. Target country: Lithuania

11. Registration procedures • EU citizen may arrive and stay in Lithuania not longer than 3 months per half a year, however, such EU citizen looking for a job or intending to carry out other legal activity in Lithuania, may stay additional 3 months in Lithuania. Family members of the EU citizen may arrive to Lithuania together with the EU citizen and stay for the same period • A foreign resident, who has been granted a temporary residence permit in the Republic of Lithuania, within seven days after his/her arrival to the Republic of Lithuania, must notify the migration authorities about the arrival Target country: Lithuania

12. Temporary residence permit If EU citizen is intending to: • start working or carry out other legal activity in Lithuania • stay in Lithuania longer than 3 months • study in Lithuania He must apply to Migration authority for a temporary residence permit Target country: Lithuania

13. Work permit • Work permits are not required for EU citizens and their family members intending to work under the employment contract in Lithuania Target country: Lithuania

14. Wages in Lithuania • The Government of the Republic of Lithuania sets a minimum hourly rate and a minimum monthly salary according to the Labour Remuneration Act of the Republic of Lithuania. • The current minimum monthly salary is LTL 800 (~232 EUR), while the minimum hourly rate is LTL 4.85 Target country: Lithuania

15. gfdgfg Living conditionsprices (€) 1 l of milk – 1.90 1 kg of sugar – 3.20 1 big bread - 3.00 1 music CD – 18.00 1 kg of potatoes – 0.70 1 ticket of public bus – 1.50 1 kg of coffee – 9.00 1 beer – 2.00 Target country: Lithuania

16. Looking for job How to look for a job: • If you intend to look for work in Lithuania, you can get registered at local labour exchange (state employment institution) www.ldb.lt • Privat recruitment agencies • Job ads in newspapers and on the internet • Speculative applications • Personal contacts • Lithuanian language is a must (except of some international companies) Target country: Lithuania

17. CV • Typed CV’s are common in Lithuania • There are no strict rules for CV in Lithuania, but your CV shouldn’t be too long • Make it look professional • Do not list all the facts about yourself, highlight only those that may seem useful to an employer • Many now have a scanned photo in the top right hand corner • If you have got written references, just mention that references are available upon request Target country: Lithuania

18. Cover letter • Cover letter should accompany your CV • Content of a cover letter: • explanation why you are writing • showing the desire to work in this job/in this company • providing personal information • suggesting a follow-up meeting; • A good cover letter must be short • All statements should be grounded on facts • Address the letter to a particular person Target country: Lithuania

19. Recognition of qualifications • The recognition of diplomas and qualifications is governed by both EU legislation and the national laws of the Republic of Lithuania • The Department of Science and Higher Education under the Ministry of Education and Science recognizes higher education qualifications and provides related information (http://www.mokslas.lt ) • Other qualifications acquired abroad are assessed by the Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (http://www.skvc.lt ) • The list of regulated professions in Lithuania and the responsible authorities can be found at http://www.profesijos.lt (only in Lithuanian) Target country: Lithuania

20. Employment contract • The employment contract must be concluded in writing according to a standard format. Written contracts are drawn up in duplicate. One of the signed copies is given to the employee, the other remains with the employer. The employer is responsible for the proper conclusion of the employment contract. Target country: Lithuania

21. Working time • In Lithuania, working time cannot exceed 40 hours per week. Working hours should not exceed eight hours per day. The maximum number of working hours over seven days, including overtime, should not exceed 48 hours • For workers employed in more than one workplace or doing two or more jobs in the same workplace, a working day, including breaks, cannot exceed 12 hours • Special rules for certain categories (medical doctors etc.) Target country: Lithuania

22. Looking for accommodation • Real estate agencies • Personal contacts • Ads in the newspapers and on the internet • Rent prices of flats in the capital vary from 400 LTL (116 €) to 8000 LTL (2319 €). Rent for a house costs from 2000 LTL (580 €) to 14 000 LTL (4058 €) per month • When buying or renting a home, it is important to organise all legal documents properly. You can contact estate agents or the offices of notaries for assistance Target country: Lithuania

23. Social security • State Social Insurance Board “SODRA” – www.sodra.lt Lithuania has a state social security system providing for compulsory social insurance for all permanent residents in Lithuania and social assistance from state funds • Income tax is deducted on a regular basis by the employer from wages before they are paid. Employer contributes 24% of the company payroll and employees pay 3% of their wages and salaries, for a combined rate of 27% • Total social security contribution is 33.98%(30.98% by the employer and 3% by the employee) Target country: Lithuania

24. Social security • Benefits provided by state social insurance include: • pensions • sickness allowances • maternity and child-birth benefits • child care benefits • unemployment benefits Target country: Lithuania

25. Starting up a business • Choose the most suitable legal form; • Prepare all documents in relation to a certain legal form of company; • Obtain a statement of use of the premises; • Notarize the documents; • Register the company with the Register www.kada.lt . • Useful links: • Lithuanian development agency for small and medium sized enterprises www.smeda.lt • Lithuanian development agency www.lda.lt • Lithuanian Tax authority: www.vmi.lt Target country: Lithuania

26. Useful links • For recognition of qualifications look at: Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assesment in Higher Education http://www.skvc.lt • Lithuanian Development Agency http://www.lda.lt comprehensive information on tax system, business environment, social security in Lithuania etc. • EURES Lithuania web page: http://www.ldb.lt/eures • CV online: http://www.cvonline.lt – here you can find useful information concerning job search in Lithuania (writing CV, application letter, preparing for job interview etc.), add your CV, search for a job in Lithuania. • Job search site http://www.cv.lt Target country: Lithuania

27. Useful links Lithuanian Ministries • Government www.lrv.lt • Agriculture www.zum.lt • Environment www.am.lt • Culture www.lrkm.lt • National Defence www.kam.lt • Education and Science www.smm.lt • Finance www.finmin.lt • Foreign Affairs www.urm.lt • Health Care www.sam.lt • Interior www.vrm.lt • Justice www.tm.lt • Economywww.ukmin.lt • Social Security and Labour www.socmin.lt • Transport www.transp.lt Target country: Lithuania

28. Thank you for your attention! For more detailed information write to: sonata.marcinkeviciute@ldb.lt Target country: Lithuania