Life satisfaction
Data source: 2016 EQLS survey
Ability to choose or change
methods of work
Data source: 2015 EWCS survey
Possibility to accumulate overtime
for days off
Data source: 2013 ECS survey
Тристранната агенция на Европейския съюз предоставя знания в помощ за разработването на по-добри социални политики и политики в областта на заетостта и труда
Тристранната агенция на Европейския съюз предоставя знания в помощ за разработването на по-добри социални политики и политики в областта на заетостта и труда
19 May 2022
Data source: Eurostat
Eurofound provides research, data and analysis on a wide range of social and work-related topics. This information is largely comparative, but also offers country-specific information for each of the EU Member States, which included the UK prior to its withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020. Most information is available in English but some has been translated to facilitate access at national level.
Eurofound strives to strengthen the ongoing link between its own work and national policy debates and priorities related to quality of life and work. Increasingly important in this context are the EU’s policy priorities for a European Green Deal, a digital future, an economy that works for people, promoting and strengthening European democracy. To help repair the economic and social damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission, the European Parliament and EU leaders have also agreed on a recovery plan that will lead the way out of the crisis and lay the foundations for a modern and more sustainable Europe. The EU’s long-term budget, coupled with NextGenerationEU, the temporary instrument designed to boost the recovery, will be the largest stimulus package ever financed through the EU budget to help rebuild a post-COVID-19 Europe.
The European Semester provides a framework for the coordination of economic policies across the EU. It allows Member States to discuss their economic and budget plans and monitor progress at specific times throughout the year. For 2022, the European Semester resumes it broad economic and employment policy coordination, while further adapting in line with the implementation requirements of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. As part of this, Member States are encouraged to submit national reform programmes and stability/convergence programmes that will set out their economic and fiscal policy plans, as in previous Semester cycles. The main change in the 2022 cycle will be that the national reform programme will play a dual role. Besides its role for the European Semester, it will also fulfil one of the two bi-annual reporting requirements of Member States under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
2015 Eurofound EWCS survey results in Lithuania: 37% of people consider their job affecting their health negatively
COVID-19 continues to have a profound impact on people’s lives across the globe, with major implications for quality of life and work. Eurofound has taken a multipronged response to the pandemic, adapting its research focus in a variety of ways. A new database of national-level policy responses, EU PolicyWatch, collates information on measures taken by government and social partners, as well as company practices, aiming to cushion the effects of the crisis. Eurofound's unique e-survey, Living, working and COVID-19, provides an insight into the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives across the EU, with the aim of helping policymakers to bring about an equal recovery from the crisis. Five rounds of the survey have been carried out to date: in April 2020 when most Member States were in lockdown, in July 2020 when society and economies were slowly reopening, in March 2021 as countries dealt again with various levels of lockdown and vaccine rollout, a panel survey in October/November 2021 to track developments since the start of the pandemic, and in March–May 2022, charting the latest developments and looking at how life has changed over the past two years. The survey investigates the impact on quality of life and society, democracy and trust, working and teleworking, the financial situation and security of people, the quality of public services, support measures and vaccinations during COVID-19. Findings for each country and a range of data pages are available.
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Survey results
Life satisfaction
Data source: 2016 EQLS survey
Ability to choose or change
methods of work
Data source: 2015 EWCS survey
Possibility to accumulate overtime
for days off
Data source: 2013 ECS survey
Recent developments
Eurofound contacts in Lithuania
Correspondents report on topics related to developments in the country's working life and inform Eurofound’s pan-European comparative analysis. Read more
Labour Market Research Department of the Institute of Sociology, Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences
Eurofound's Management Board is made up of representatives of the social partners and national governments of all Member States, European Commission representatives and an independent expert appointed by the European Parliament. Read more
Donata Šlekytė Ministry of Social Security and Labour
Danukas Arlauskas Lithuanian Business Employer's Federation
Kristina Krupavičienė Lithuanian Trade Union 'Solidarumas' (LPS)
Quality of life
Overall, the quality of life indicators have experienced positive developments in Lithuania during the years of observation in Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS). Life satisfaction has increased in Lithuania in recent years, from 5.4 in 2003 to 6.5 in 2016, therefore advancing towards the respective EU28 average of 7.1 (on a scale of 1–10). Similarly, the share of respondents reporting difficulties in making ends meet has decreased from 84% in 2003 to 57% in 2016. However, the share is still higher than the EU28 average of 39% in 2016. In 2016, 69% of respondents in Lithuania were optimistic about their children’s or grandchildren’s future, which was higher than the average of 57% for the EU28 respondents.
2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2016 | ||
Life satisfaction | Mean (1-10) | 5.4 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 6.5 |
Taking all things together on a scale of 1 to 10, how happy would you say you are? | Mean (1-10) | 6.5 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Optimism about own future | Agree & strongly agree | - | - | - | 63% |
Optimism about children’s or grandchildren’s future | Agree & strongly agree | - | - | - | 69% |
Take part in sports or physical exercise | At least once a week | - | - | 33% | 38% |
In general, how is your health? | Very good | - | 11% | 11% | 11% |
WHO-5 mental wellbeing index | Mean (1-100) | - | 58 | 58 | 62 |
Making ends meet | With some difficulty, difficulty, and great difficulty | 84% | 64% | 68% | 57% |
I feel I am free to decide how to live my life | Strongly agree | - | - | 24% | 28% |
I find it difficult to deal with important problems that come up in my life | Agree & strongly agree | - | - | - | 26% |
When things go wrong in my life, it generally takes me a long time to get back to normal | Agree & strongly agree | - | - | - | 28% |
Work-life balance
Based on the EQLS, the perceived work–life balance in Lithuania is relatively close to the EU28 average. In 2016, 53% of respondents in Lithuania have reported coming home too tired from work to do some of the household jobs which need to be done at least several times a month, compared with the EU28 average of 59%. Also, 41% of respondents in Lithuania said they found it difficult to fulfil family responsibilities because of work at least several times a month, compared with the EU28 average of 38%. Regarding the third work–life balance indicator, 21% of respondents said they found it difficult to concentrate at work because of family responsibilities, while the respective EU28 average was 19%.
2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2016 | ||
(At least several times a month) | |||||
I have come home from work too tired to do some of the household jobs which need to be done | Total | 52% | 53% | 43% | 53% |
Men | 46% | 54% | 39% | 50% | |
Women | 58% | 52% | 47% | 56% | |
It has been difficult for me to fulfil my family responsibilities because of the amount of time I spend on the job | Total | 37% | 40% | 32% | 41% |
Men | 37% | 43% | 31% | 40% | |
Women | 36% | 36% | 33% | 42% | |
I have found it difficult to concentrate at work because of my family responsibilities | Total | 12% | 15% | 11% | 21% |
Men | 11% | 15% | 9% | 19% | |
Women | 13% | 15% | 13% | 23% |
Quality of society
Perceived tensions between poor and rich people have decreased in Lithuania since 2011, from 60% reporting a lot of tension in 2011 to 51% in 2016. However, this is still significantly higher than the EU average of 29% in 2016. An opposite development can be observed in perceived tensions between different racial and ethnic groups: the share of respondents reporting a lot of tensions has increased continuously since 2003, reaching 20% in 2016. Yet, this share remains much lower than the EU28 average of 41% in 2016.
2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2016 | ||
Social exclusion index | Mean (1-5) | - | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
Trust in people | Mean (1-10) | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 |
Involvement in unpaid voluntary work | % 'at least once a month' | - | - | 8% | 5% |
Tension between poor and rich people | % reporting 'a lot of tension' | 62% | 47% | 60% | 51% |
Tension between different racial and ethnic groups | % reporting 'a lot of tension' | 11% | 16% | 16% | 20% |
I feel safe when I walk alone after dark | Strongly agree | - | - | - | 24% |
Quality of public services
Quality ratings for seven public services
Note: scale of 1-10, Source: EQLS 2016.
The perceived quality of many public services has increased in Lithuania in the recent years of observation in the EQLS. For instance, the perceived quality of health services increased from 5.1 in 2003 to 6.3 in 2016, but was still lower than the EU28 average of 6.7 in 2016 (on a scale of 1–10). Similarly, the perceived quality of public transport increased from 6.3 in 2003 to 7.0 in 2016, rising above the EU28 average of 6.6. However, the perceived quality of the state pension system has decreased in Lithuania from 5.0 in 2003 to 3.8 in 2016, which is also lower than the EU28 average of 5.0.
2003 | 2007 | 2011 | 2016 | ||
Health services | Mean (1-10) | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 6.3 |
Education system | Mean (1-10) | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 6.5 |
Public transport | Mean (1-10) | 6.3 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 7.0 |
Childcare services | Mean (1-10) | - | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.9 |
Long-term care services | Mean (1-10) | - | - | 5.5 | 6.0 |
Social housing | Mean (1-10) | - | - | 5.5 | 4.9 |
State pension system | Mean (1-10) | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
This profile describes the key characteristics of working life in Lithuania. It aims to complement other EurWORK research by providing the relevant background information on the structures, institutions and relevant regulations regarding working life. This includes indicators, data and regulatory systems on the following aspects: actors and institutions, collective and individual employment relations, health and well-being, pay, working time, skills and training, and equality and non-discrimination at work. The profiles are updated annually.
Highlights – Working life in 2021
Authors: Rasa Miežienė, Inga Blažienė
Institution: Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences
Highlights updated on: 19 May 2022
Working paper: Lithuania: Working life in the COVID-19 pandemic 2021
Despite the second lockdown introduced on 7 November 2020, which remained in force until 1 July 2021, the number of cases was slow to decline in Lithuania in 2021. In October 2021, Lithuania set a record for the number of new coronavirus cases when the 14-day notification rate in the country was 1,187 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Vaccination rates were rising quite slowly in Lithuania in 2021. According to Statistics Lithuania, just 66.6% of the population had received at least one dose of the vaccine by 26 November 2021.
Despite the high rates of COVID-19 cases recorded in Lithuania in 2021 and the relatively strict lockdown, the country’s economic indicators grew in 2021. Lithuania’s GDP growth in the first three quarters of 2021 was 5.2% compared to the same period in 2020, which had a positive impact on the overall working life situation in the country. Gross average wages in the country’s economy rose by approximately 9.9% in the third quarter of 2021 as compared to the third quarter in 2020 and the total unemployment rate fell from 9.3% to 6.7%. In June 2021, the number of job vacancies in Lithuania reached the highest level in 30 years at 60,600. In 2021, the country was particularly short of industrial workers, drivers of heavy trucks and goods vehicles, loaders, salespeople, and construction workers.
The new government took office at the end of 2020 and continued to implement state support measures for businesses and different population groups in 2021. Conditions for some of the continuing measures that were widely applied in 2020 (temporary job search benefit, compensation for the self-employed, and so on) were adjusted to increase the effectiveness of the measures. In addition, the Government proposed two new packages of measures in 2021 aimed at supporting SMEs and the self-employed.
To reduce the number of cases and to encourage people to get vaccinated, the procedure for preventive testing of workers in Lithuania was adjusted in 2021. From 1 December 2021, periodic preventive testing in Lithuania is no longer reimbursed by the state and employees must pay for mandatory periodic check-ups at their own expense. The adoption of the new procedure in the country was followed by increasing talks about mandatory vaccination in the nursing, care, education, and health sectors.
Although the pandemic has significantly increased the scope of teleworking in Lithuania (according to various surveys, about 40–60% of employees were engaged in telework after the outbreak of the pandemic), there were no major changes in the laws regulating telework in Lithuania in 2021. At the beginning of 2021, the opposition party proposed to include the ‘right to disconnect’ provision in the Labour Code, and trade union representatives proposed to supplement the code with provisions on the reimbursement of labour costs incurred by employees during telework. The latter proposals, however, did not receive support from the ruling party and were not adopted.
The pandemic did not have a significant impact on the wage-setting mechanism and social dialogue in Lithuania. The Government Resolution of 13 October 2021 approved one of the most significant minimum wage increases in the past ten years (an increase of 13.6% in the minimum wage for 2022). In addition, on 22 October 2021, the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania and four trade union organisations signed the National Collective Agreement for 2022, whereby the Government committed to increase the basic salary and improve working conditions for employees of budgetary institutions.
Key figures
Comparative figures on working life in Lithuania
2019 |
2020 |
% (point) change 2012 –2019 |
% (point) change 2019 –2020 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LT |
EU27 |
LT |
EU27 |
LT |
EU27 |
LT |
EU27 |
|
GDP per capita |
14,010 |
27,970 |
13,890 |
26,230 |
35.6% |
11.5% |
-0.9% |
-6.2% |
Unemployment rate – total |
6.3 |
6.7 |
8.1 |
7.1 |
-7.1 |
-4.1 |
1.8 |
0.4 |
Unemployment rate – women |
5.5 |
7 |
7.7 |
7.3 |
-6.1 |
-4.0 |
2.2 |
0.3 |
Unemployment rate – men |
7.1 |
6.4 |
9.3 |
6.8 |
-8.1 |
-4.3 |
2.2 |
0.4 |
Unemployment rate – youth |
11.9 |
15 |
19.6 |
16.8 |
-14.8 |
-8.7 |
7.7 |
1.8 |
Employment rate – total |
78 |
73.4 |
78.5 |
72.9 |
6.2 |
2.4 |
0.5 |
-0.5 |
Employment rate – women |
76.9 |
67.9 |
77.2 |
67.5 |
6.8 |
3.0 |
0.3 |
-0.4 |
Employment rate – men |
79.2 |
79 |
79.9 |
78.3 |
5.5 |
1.8 |
0.7 |
-0.7 |
Employment rate – youth |
37.3 |
39.4 |
36.6 |
37.9 |
8.0 |
-0.4 |
-0.7 |
-1.5 |
Source: Eurostat – Real GDP per capita (chain linked volumes [2010], in EUR) and percentage change 2012–2020 (both based on sdg_08_10). Unemployment rate by sex and age – annual average (15–74 years, % active population) and youth (15–24 years) % [une_rt_a]; Employment rate by sex and age – annual average (15–64 years, unit % total population, employment indicator active population) % [lfsi_emp_a].
Background
Between 2012 and 2019, there was a robust growth in GDP in Lithuania. According to Eurostat, GDP per capita grew by 35.6%, while the EU-27 average – by 11.5% during the mentioned period. Real GDP growth rate in 2019 constituted 4.3% as compared to previous year (EU-28 average – 1.5%). Unemployment rates fell substantially during the seven years, in particular youth unemployment (down 14.8 percentage points); the 2019 unemployment rate for this category was 11.9%, below the EU average of 15%. Total unemployment in 2019 was 6.3% (the EU27 average was 6.7%); the male unemployment rate was higher than the female unemployment rate (constituted 7.1% and 5.5%, accordingly). Employment rates increased in 2012–2019, with the largest increase among young people aged 15-24 (8.0 percentage points) (there was a decrease of 0.4 pp in EU-27 in this group). Youth employment, at 37.3%, however, remained lower than the EU average of 39.4% in 2019. In 2020, due to the pandemic, GDP decreased by 0.9%, unemployment rate increased by 1.8 pp, most notably for youth with a 7.7 pp increase in unemployment.
In Lithuania, labour relations (both individual and collective) of workers hired under employment contracts are regulated by the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania No XII-2603 (Labour Code). The mentioned legal act was adopted by the Lithuanian Parliament on 14 September 2016 and it came into force on 1 July 2017. The new Labour Code liberalised work regulation and legitimised more flexible relations between employers and employees in Lithuania.
Certain aspects of employment relationships of civil servants (their status, remuneration for work, etc.) are regulated in Lithuania by the new Law on the Civil Service No VIII-1316, approved on 29 June 2018, in force from 1 January 2019.
The procedure of establishing and functioning of trade unions is regulated by the Law on Trade Unions of the Republic of Lithuania, No I-2018, approved on 21 November 1991.
The status of works councils, the procedure for their establishment, and other aspects of their activities are regulated by the new Labour Code, which has replaced the former Law on Works Councils of the Republic of Lithuania. The Law Amending the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on European Works Councils No XI-1507, approved on 22 June 2011, is also valid in Lithuania.
The history of independent Lithuanian trade unions and employers’ organisations is relatively short. Though trade union density during the Soviet period was very high, Lithuanian unions began to play a more substantial role in industrial relations only after the reconstitution of independent Lithuania at the beginning of the 1990s.
During the Soviet period, the government was the only employer and independent employers’ organisations were established only after 1990.
The new Labour Code valid since 1 July 2017 established representativeness criteria for social partners to be represented at the Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (TCRL). At the beginning of 2019, three trade unions and six employers’ organisations were represented at the TCRL. Trade unions comprise: Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation, Lithuanian Trade Union ‘Solidarumas’ and Lithuanian Trade Union ‘Sandrauga’ (the last one joined the Council in 2017 only). Employers’ organisations comprise: the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists, the Confederation of Lithuanian Employers, the Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, the Chamber of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Investor’s’ Forum and the Lithuanian Business Confederation (the last two joined the Council in 2017 only). These organisations participate regularly at the national-level social dialogue. The dominant level of collective bargaining in Lithuania is company level. Although sectoral level collective bargaining is least developed, since 2017-2018 a cross-sectoral collective agreement and a number of sectoral (in education, health care, social care, some other sectors) collective agreements in the public sector covering some wage-related issues are permanently signed and renewed.
Actors and institutions
Trade unions, employers’ organisations and public institutions play a key role in the governance of the employment relationship, working conditions and industrial relations structures. They are interlocking parts in a multilevel system of governance that includes the European, national, sectoral, regional (provincial or local) and company levels. This section looks into the main actors and institutions and their role in Lithuania.
The main authority involved in regulating working life in Lithuania is the Ministry of Social Security and Labour (SADM). The SADM is responsible for labour policy making and organises, coordinates and controls the implementation of the policy.
The State Labour Inspectorate (SLI) supervises occupational safety and health, as well as compliance with laws regulating labour relations, other legislation and legal provisions on collective agreements.
The main national-level social dialogue institution – the TCRL– deals with social, economic and labour problems, and other issues of public relevance. It recommends solutions to the problems while implementing the principle of social partnership.
The Civil Service Department ensures compliance with the Law on the Civil Service of the Republic of Lithuania and other legal instruments related thereto in Lithuania.
The new Labour Code introduced a new definition of collective disputes and some new features in their regulation. As of 1 July 2017, labour disputes are divided into two categories: (1) labour disputes (whether individual or collective) about rights; and (2) collective labour disputes about interests (before 1 July 2017, labour disputes in Lithuania were classified into individual labour disputes and collective labour disputes).
There are two bodies for settling disagreements between the employer and employee (that is, labour disputes about rights) – courts and labour disputes commissions (LDC). The latter (LDC) is a mandatory body for pre-trial hearing of individual labour disputes. LDC hearings are based on the tripartism principle, involving participation of a SLI representative and social partners (that is, representatives of employer and employee organisations) in dispute hearings. The chair of the LDC is appointed by the Chief State Labour Inspector of the Republic of Lithuania and the other two members of the commission are appointed from among representatives of trade unions functioning within the jurisdiction of local SLI offices and of employer organisations.
The resolution system of collective labour disputes about interests covers disputes commissions, mediation and labour arbitration.
The main tripartite OHS institution in Lithuania is the Commission to the TCRL for Occupational Safety and Health.
The new Labour Code valid since 1 July 2017 established representativeness criteria for the social partners to be represented at the Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (TCRL). The most important of these are membership in international organisations, having members or representatives in different regions/sectors, being active for at least three years, covering at least 0.5% of countries employees for TUs and having at least 3% of salaried employees of the country employed within their companies for employer organisations (for more details, see Art. 185 of the Labour Code).
The representativeness when concluding collective agreements is established by the organisation itself in its incorporation documents. For a trade union/employer organisation to have the right to conclude collective agreements at sectoral or cross-sector level, it has to state that it is a sectoral or national trade union/employer organisation in its by-laws (incorporation documents).
More information on representativeness of the main social partner organisations can be found in Eurofound’s representativeness study of the cross-industry social partners or in Eurofound’s sectoral representativeness studies.
According to the Law on Trade Unions, natural persons having legal capacity in employment relationships shall have the right to freely join national, sectoral or local (territorial) trade unions and participate in their activities. Membership in a trade union founded at enterprise level or at structural-unit level shall be limited to employees of the enterprise or the structural unit concerned.
Information on trade union membership has been collected by the Statistics Lithuania (SL) since 2006. Trade union membership in Lithuania in general is quite low and during the last decade it has been steadily decreasing. According to Lithuanian Statistics, between 2012 and 2019 the number of trade union members in Lithuania fell from 102.3 thousand to 89.6 thousand, with trade union density thus falling from 9.0 % to 7.4 %.
Low trade union density is highly determined by the absence of social dialogue traditions at company level and some peculiarities of public and private sectors. For example, in the public sector, all the main employment and working conditions, including remuneration issues, are rather strictly regulated by the national legislation, therefore in the public sector usually there is too little room for manoeuvre for collective bargaining – this impedes rise in trade union membership in the sector. The Lithuanian economic structure also contributes to low trade union density. There is a high prevalence of companies with up to 50 employees accounting for more than 95% of the total number of entities operating in Lithuania and employing about 50% of the total number of workers of the country. As a rule, the smallest companies have the least developed industrial relations.
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
Source |
|
Trade union density in terms of active employees |
7.9 |
7.7 |
7.7 |
7.1 |
7.4 |
OECD/AIAS ICTWSS Database 2021 |
Trade union density in terms of active employees |
7.9 |
7.7 |
7.7 |
7.1 |
7.4 |
Authors’ calculations based on SL data |
Trade union membership in 1000s |
92 |
92 |
92 |
87 |
90 |
OECD/AIAS ICTWSS Database 2021 |
Trade union membership in 1000s |
92.0 |
91.5 |
92.1 |
86.6 |
89.6 |
SL data on membership organisations, www.stat.gov.lt |
At the beginning of 2019, three trade union organisations were represented at the TCRL. They participate regularly in national-level discussions/negotiations at the TCRL and also– in sectoral level bargaining. National trade unions and their members – sectoral – trade unions also participate in the dominant company-level collective bargaining through consultations and legal support to company level trade unions.
Long name |
Abbreviation |
Members |
Involved in collective bargaining |
Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation |
LPSK |
25 sectoral TUs (2021) 50,000 members (2020) |
Yes |
Lithuanian Trade Union ‘Solidarumas’ |
LPS ‘Solidarumas’ |
15 sectoral and 21 regional TUs (2021) 20,000 members (2020) |
Yes |
Lithuanian Trade Union ‘Sandrauga’ |
LPS ‘Sandrauga’ |
TU does not provide information on its structure 10,000 members (2020) |
Yes |
In the past 20 years, the main trade union organisations appear to have been transformed from competing and confronting organisations into closely cooperating ones, acting on a coordinated basis. In recent years, there have been no fundamental changes in the background and general setting in which the trade unions operate.
Employers have the right to join organisations that represent their interests in compliance with the principle of the freedom of association.
Information on employers’ organisations membership has been collected by the SL since 2006. According to Lithuanian Statistics, between 2011 and 2019 the number of employers’ organisations members in Lithuania increased from 12.2 to 13.5 thousand. Unfortunately there is no possibility to calculate employers’ organisations density in terms of employees, but in terms of member companies EOs density is close to 15%, i.e. 15% of companies operating in Lithuania are members of employers’ organisations. As usually members of EOs are rather large companies, density in term of employees might be significantly higher.
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
Source |
|
Employers’ organisation density in terms of active employees |
n.a. |
33% |
n.a. |
n.a. |
n.a |
OECD/AIAS ICTWSS Database 2021 |
Employers’ organisation density in private sector establishments* |
n.a |
n.a. |
n.a. |
n.a. |
6% |
European Company Survey (ECS) 2019 |
* Percentage of employees working in an establishment which is a member of any employer organisation that is involved in collective bargaining.
At the beginning of 2021, six employers’ organisations were represented at the TCRL. They participate regularly in national-level social dialogue at the TCRL and some of their sectoral members participate in sector-related level bargaining.
Long name |
Abbreviation |
Members |
Year |
Involved in collective bargaining* |
Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists |
LPK |
51 sectoral, 5 regional associations and 25 direct member companies. Over 3525 member companies in total |
2021 |
Yes |
Confederation of Lithuanian Employers |
LDK |
EO does not provide information on members |
2021 |
Yes |
Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts |
LPPARA |
5 regional associations Approx. 2,000 member companies in total |
2021 |
Yes |
Chamber of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania |
LZUR |
31 sectoral and 9 regional affiliates; 56 legal entities (companies) and 25,000 individual employers – farmers in total |
2021 |
Yes |
Investors’ Forum |
IF |
66 member companies |
2021 |
Yes |
Lithuanian Business Confederation |
ICC Lietuva/LVK |
Approx. 100 affiliates (29 sectoral organisations and 70 directly affiliated companies) Approx. 3500 member companies in total |
2021 |
Yes |
* Negotiations/participation in social dialogue at TCRL
There are several tripartite councils and commissions in Lithuania. Most are specialised and operate at national level, while some are also active at regional level. The main tripartite organisation, the TCRL, was established in 1995 following the agreement on trilateral partnership between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania , the trade unions and the employer organisations in accordance with the provisions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in its Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention (Convention No. 144) of 1976. According to the parity principle, the TCRL consists of 21 members, including seven representatives each from the trade unions, employer organisations and government. Several councils and commissions, dealing with particular areas of social and working life, function under the TCRL - Commission of Labour Relations, Commission of Remuneration Policy, Bipartite Commission of Civil Servants, Bipartite Commission of the Development of Competences of the Social Partners, Committee of Education, Committee of Culture).
According to the law, legislative drafts that are submitted to the government on relevant labour, social and economic issues should be agreed in advance with the TCRL. During recent years, the main issues discussed at the TCRL were related to the new Labour Code, liberalisation of labour relations, the minimum monthly wage, as well as current social and economic issues.
There are also other tripartite councils and commissions operating in some state institutions. As a rule, they deal with the particular areas (for instance, education, labour market policy) or issues (for instance, European Social Fund, migration) that the institutions are responsible for.
Similar types of tripartite committees/commissions also function at regional level – there are tripartite councils of the regions, and various local level public institutions have tripartite committees/commissions.
Name |
Type |
Level |
Issues covered |
Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania |
tripartite |
national |
Social, labour, employment issues |
Tripartite Council of the Public Employment Service |
tripartite |
national |
labour market and unemployment issues |
Tripartite Council of the State Social Insurance Fund Board |
tripartite |
national |
state social insurance issues |
Occupational Health and Safety Commission |
tripartite |
national |
OHS issues |
Lithuanian National Tripartite Council of the Health System |
tripartite |
national |
Employment and working conditions of health care employees |
According to the Labour Code in force since 1 July 2017, workers’ representatives consist of trade unions, works councils or trustees. A company-level trade union can be set up where it has at least 20 employees as founders or where its founders account for at least 10% of the total employees of the company, provided this is equivalent to three or more employees.
Since 1 July 2017, an employer is required to initiate the formation of a works council when the average number of employees in the company is 20 or more. A works council shall not be set up in a unionised company where more than one third of the total employees of the company are members of the trade union. According to the Labour Code, in the company with less than 20 employees a workers’ trustee should be elected.
Regulation |
Composition |
Involved in company level collective bargaining? |
Thresholds/rules when they need to be/can be set up |
|
Trade union (Profesinė sąjunga) |
Law |
Trade union members |
Yes |
A company-level trade union can be set up where it has at least 20 employees as founders or its founders account for at least 10% of the total employees of the company, provided this is equivalent to three or more employees. |
Works council (Darbo taryba) |
Law |
Employees of the company |
No |
Since 1 July 2017, an employer is required to initiate the formation of a work council when the average number of employees in the company is 20 or more. A works council shall not be set up in a unionised company where more than one third of the total employees of the company are members of the trade union. According to the Labour Code, in a company with less than 20 employees a workers’ trustee should be elected. |
Industrial action and disputes
As of 1 July 2017, labour disputes in Lithuania are divided into two categories: (1) labour disputes (whether individual or collective) over rights; and (2) collective labour disputes over interests (before 1 July 2017, labour disputes in Lithuania were classified into individual labour disputes and collective labour disputes).
According to the Labour Code:
A strike is a suspension of employees’ work organised by a trade union or their organisation in order to resolve a CLD over interests or ensure the performance of the decision adopted in the process of the dispute resolution. In terms of duration, a strike may be a warning strike, which may not be longer than two hours, or a real strike action.
From 1 July 2017, the right to take a decision to call a strike is given only to the trade union or trade unions’ organisation; the decision to call a strike at company level requires approval by at least one-fourth of the total members of the trade union. Calling a strike in a sector (of production, services, profession) requires a relevant decision from the representative body. The employer or employer organisation and its individual members must be given a written notice at least three working days before the beginning of a warning strike or at least five working days before the beginning of a real strike. When a strike is declared, only the demands which were heard by the labour disputes commission, labour arbitration or in the mediation process may be put forward.
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
|
Working days lost per 1000 employees |
n.a |
33.4 |
0.46 |
26.5 |
1.5 |
Number of strikes (warning strikes) |
0 (296) |
242 (0) |
0 (1) |
149 (47) |
0 (2) |
Number of employees participated in the strikes (warning strikes), persons |
0 (7,126) |
6,295 (0) |
0 (2,205) |
3,684 (814) |
0 (6,810) |
Total working days lost during strikes (warning strikes) |
0 (2,428) |
35,646 (0) |
0 (552) |
31,947 (267) |
0 (1,874) |
Length of a strike (warning strikes) per employee, days |
0 (0.34) |
5.66 (0) |
0 (0.25) |
8.67 (0.33) |
0 (0.28) |
Source: Strikes. Database of Statistics Lithuania, www.stat.gov.lt
As written above from 1 July 2017, labour disputes in Lithuania are divided into two categories: (1) labour disputes (whether individual or collective) over rights; and (2) collective labour disputes over interests.
Collective (as well as individual) labour disputes over rights are examined by the Labour Disputes Commission and the courts. Commercial arbitration tribunals may also deal with labour disputes. The body dealing with CLD over rights is entitled to impose a fine of up to €3,000 on a party which is in violation of the provisions of labour law or agreements between the parties. The fine is imposed in favour of the other party. According to the new Labour Code, disputes over dismissal and removal from work, as well as disputes over property and non-property damages, shall fall within the field of competence of the Labour Disputes Commission.
According to the new Labour Code, CLD over interests should be at the first instance resolved before a commission for CLD over interests formed by both parties (Dispute Commission). The Dispute Commission has ten calendar days to resolve the CLD over interests unless otherwise provided by consensus of the Dispute Commission. The work of the Dispute Commission ends with one of the following decisions adopted by mutual consent:
1. To pronounce the CLD over interests resolved in the event of entering into a collective agreement or reaching another agreement on the matter of the CLD over interests;
2. To pronounce the CLD over interests unresolved;
3. To resolve the CLD over interests by engaging a mediator;
4. To transfer the CLD over interests to labour arbitration.
As written above, individual labour disputes over rights are examined by the Labour Disputes Commission and the courts.
Use of dispute resolution mechanisms |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
Number of appeals submitted to Labour Disputes Commission |
5,358 |
5,574 |
6,675 |
6,712 |
7,579 |
Source: State Labour Inspectorate, www.vdi.lt
Individual employment relations
Individual employment relations are the relationship between the individual worker and their employer. This relationship is shaped by legal regulation and by the outcomes of social partner negotiations over the terms and conditions governing the employment relationship. This section looks into the start and termination of the employment relationship and entitlements and obligations in Lithuania.
According to the Labour Code, in Lithuania a person shall acquire full legal capacity in employment relationships when he/she reaches the age of 16 years. However, certain work activities may be performed by minors who are 14 years old. Basic requirements regarding the recruitment of minors have been set out in the Labour Code; the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Health and Safety at Work No IX-1672; and the Schedule approving the procedure for recruitment, work and vocational training of persons under eighteen years of age and conditions of children employment, approved by Government Resolution No 518.
According to the Labour Code, an employer shall ensure that an employee is allowed to work only upon signing an employment contract. When concluding an employment contract, the employer must introduce the person being employed against his signature to the conditions of his potential work, acts regulating his work, which are in force at the workplace, requirements of OHS. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the employee must commence his work on the next day following the conclusion of the employment contract.
In every employment contract, the parties must agree on the essential conditions of the contract: the employee’s functions and place of work, as well as on the conditions of remuneration for work.
According to the Labour Code effective since 1 July 2017, an employment contract (EC) expires: (1) when the EC is terminated by agreement between the parties; (2) when the EC is terminated on the initiative of one of the parties; (3) when the EC is terminated at the employer’s will; (4) when the EC is terminated without the parties’ will; (5) upon the death of one party (natural person) to the EC; (6) in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania when the location of the employer (natural person) or employer’s representatives cannot be determined; (7) on other grounds laid down by the Labour Code and other laws.
Comparing to the previously valid Labour Code, the new Labour Code provides for more possibilities for employers to dismiss employees, including a quick termination of employment by giving 3 days’ notice and lower severance pays.
The new Code also introduced shorter notices of termination when there is no fault on the part of employees. The revised notice period is one month or two weeks when employment was for less than one year (instead of two months provided for in the earlier version of the Code). These periods of notice are twice as long for employees who will be entitled to the statutory retirement pension within a period of five years and thrice as long for employees with a child under 14 or a disabled child under 18, also for disabled employees and those who will be entitled to the statutory retirement pension within a period of two years.
Severance pays are reduced as follows. Upon termination of the contract of employment at the employee’s initiative for substantial reasons (illness or disability of the employee, attainment of the old-age pension age, long-term inactivity of the company or non-payment of salary for two consecutive months), the employee will be paid a severance pay of his/her 2 average wages or 1 average wage when employment continues for less than one year (instead of 2 average wages in the earlier version of the Code). When employment is terminated at the employer’s initiative without the fault of an employee, the employee will be paid a severance pay of his/her 2 average wages, irrespective of his/her length of service within the company, or 0.5 average wage when employment was for a period of less than one year. These pays are considerably below the amounts set in the old Labour Code where they varied from 1 to 6 average wages depending on the employee’s length of service. However, the LC stipulates that the dismissed employee shall additionally be paid a long-term service allowance in the procedure established by law, taking the employee’s continuous length of employment at that workplace into account. The benefits are payable to all employees (except for those from budgetary institutions and the Central Bank) who worked under employment contracts and were dismissed on 1 July 2017 or later.
Furthermore, according to the new Labour Code (Art. 59), an employer may (with the exception of state and municipal institutions) dismiss an employee without indication of any reason by giving 3 days’ notice and paying a severance pay of at least 6 average wages. There are certain limitations applicable in this case that a contract of employment cannot be terminated on the ground of employee’s participation in proceedings against an employer accused of a violation of law or on discriminatory grounds (gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, marital and family status, intention to have a child/children, etc.)..
See also further information on:
According to the data of Statistics Lithuania (SL), in 2019, 20.9 thousand women were on maternity leave (in 2018 – 24.5 thousand); 17.3 thousand persons were on parental (maternity/paternity) leave until the child reaches 1 year of age (7.4% of them were men), 20.5 thousand – from 1 year of age until the child reaches 2 years of age (38% of them were men). In 2019, as compared to 2018, the indicator of uptake of parental leave among men didn’t change much – we can see a very slight increase in the uptake of paternity leaves (from 7.1% to 7.4% - until the child reaches 1 year of age; from 37.4% to 38% - from 1 year of age until the child reaches 2 years of age). In 2019, 14.9 thousand men made use of paternity leave (until the child is 1 month of age) (in 2018, this number was 16.3 thousand).
Statutory leave arrangements
Maternity leave |
|
Maximum duration |
70 calendar days before childbirth and 56 calendar days after childbirth (in the event of complicated childbirth or birth of two or more children – 70 calendar days). |
Reimbursement |
The woman is entitled to receive a maternity allowance if before the first day of the pregnancy and childbirth leave she has a maternity social insurance record of not less than 12 months during the last 24 months. The amount of maternity allowance (MA) in Lithuania is 77.58% of the allowance beneficiary’s reimbursed remuneration. The amount of reimbursed remuneration is calculated on the basis of the person’s insured income earned during twelve consecutive calendar months before the calendar month preceding the month in which the right to such allowance was acquired. The minimum monthly maternity allowance may not be less than six basic social insurance benefits (BSI) valid in the quarter preceding the date of becoming entitled to the allowance. In 1Q 2021, BSI in Lithuania amounts to €40 (in 2020 – €39; in 2019 – €38) and the minimum maternity allowance is €240 per month. There is no ceiling applied to maternity allowance which makes 77.58% of the reimbursed remuneration. |
Who pays? |
State Social Insurance Fund |
Legal basis |
Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance No IX-110 of 21 December 2000 |
Parental leave |
|
Maximum duration |
Parental leave is granted until the child reaches three years of age. In the case of child adoption, 12 or 24 months before the child reaches the age of 18. A maternity (paternity) allowance is paid for the period of a childcare leave after the end of a maternity leave until the child is one or two years old. |
Reimbursement |
The person is entitled to receive a parental leave allowance if she or he has a maternity social insurance record of not less than 12 months during the last 24 months before the first day of the parental leave. The amount of a maternity (paternity) allowance from the end of a maternity leave until the child turns one year old is 77.58% of the allowance beneficiary’s reimbursed remuneration, if the insured person chooses to receive this allowance until the child turns one year old. In this case, the amount of the allowance may not be higher than 2 AW valid in the quarter preceding the date of becoming entitled to the allowance. In 1Q 2021, the maximum monthly maternity (paternity) allowance is approximately €2,240 before taxes (when the insured person chooses to receive this allowance until the child turns one year old). The minimum monthly maternity (paternity) allowance may not be less than six basic social insurance benefits (BSI) valid in the quarter preceding the date of becoming entitled to the allowance. In 1Q 2021, BSI in Lithuania amounts to €40 and the minimum allowance is €240. If the insured person chooses to receive a maternity (paternity) allowance until the child turns two years old, the amount of the said allowance from the end of a maternity leave until the child turns one year old is 54.31% of the allowance beneficiary’s reimbursed remuneration and until the child turns two years old – 31.03% of the allowance beneficiary’s reimbursed remuneration). In 1Q 2021, maximum maternity (paternity) allowance was approximately €1,568 per month in the first year and €896 in the second year (before taxes). If the insured person chooses to receive a maternity (paternity) allowance until the child turns two years old, the second year fathers/mothers may work while in receipt of allowance without any reduction thereof. |
Who pays? |
State Social Insurance Fund |
Legal basis |
Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance No IX-110 of 21 December 2000 |
Paternity leave |
|
Maximum duration |
In Lithuania, men are entitled to paternity leave for the period from the date of the birth of a child until the child is one month old. The paternity leave is granted at any time from the birth of a child until the child reaches the age of one year. |
Reimbursement |
The person is entitled to receive a paternity leave allowance if before the first day of the paternity leave he has a maternity social insurance record of not less than 12 months during the last 24 months. The amount of a paternity allowance in Lithuania is 77.58% of the allowance beneficiary’s reimbursed remuneration. The amount of reimbursed remuneration is calculated on the basis of the person’s insured income earned during twelve consecutive calendar months before the calendar month preceding the month in which the right to such allowance was acquired. The minimum monthly paternity allowance may not be less than six basic social insurance benefits (BSI) valid in the quarter preceding the date of becoming entitled to the allowance. In 1Q 2021, BSI in Lithuania amounts to €40 and the minimum allowance is €240. The amount of the allowance may not be higher than two AW valid in the quarter preceding the date of becoming entitled to the allowance. In 1Q 2021, this amount is approximately €2,240 per month before taxes. |
Who pays? |
State Social Insurance Fund |
Legal basis |
Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance No IX-110 of 21 December 2000 |
Vacation leave |
|
Maximum duration |
Employees are entitled to at least 20 working days (for those who work five days per week) or at least 24 working days (for those who work six days per week) of annual leave. If the number of working days per week is less or different, the employee must be granted leave of no less than four weeks. Leave is calculated in terms of working days. Holidays shall not be included in the length of leave. Longer leave may be established by employment contracts, collective agreements or labour law provisions. The right to take one’s entire annual leave or part thereof (or to receive monetary compensation therefor in the case established by the Labour Code No 2603) shall be lost three years after the end of the calendar year during which the right to full annual leave was acquired, except for cases when the employee was, in actuality, unable to take it. It is prohibited to replace annual leave with monetary compensation except upon termination of an employment relationship when the employee is paid compensation for unused full annual leave or part thereof, with the limitations established in the Labour Code. |
Reimbursement |
Paid at the usual rate |
Who pays? |
Employer |
Legal basis |
Labour Code No 2603 of 14 September 2016 |
In Lithuania, sickness allowances shall be granted in accordance with Article 5 (2) of the Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance No IX-110 of 21 December 2000. Pursuant to Article 14 of this Law, the amount of sick pay (sickness allowance) for the first two calendar days of sick leave is paid by the employer and shall not be less than 62.06% and not more than 100% of the employee’s average salary. After the first two days, the employee is entitled to the sickness allowance paid by the State Social Insurance Fund (VSDF). The amount of a sickness allowance paid with the VSDF resources from the third day shall make up 62.06% of the reimbursed remuneration of the allowance beneficiary.
A sickness allowance payable per month may not be less than 11.64% of the country’s AW and cannot exceed two AW (valid in the quarter preceding the month when temporary incapacity for work was established). In 1Q 2021, the amount of sickness allowance for one day may not be less than €8.00 and more than €85.34 (for 1 month – €168.06 and €1,792.04, accordingly).
In the event of sickness or trauma, the sickness allowance is payable until the recovery of capacity for work or until the day of establishment of the level of capacity for work, or until the first day of participation in a vocational rehabilitation programme. In the event of dismissal from work, the sickness allowance is payable not longer than 5 calendar days of sickness following thereafter.
In accordance the Labour Code No XII-2603 it shall be prohibited to give notice of the termination of an employment contract and to dismiss from work an employee during a period of temporary incapacity for work, or during leave. If the employee becomes temporarily incapable for work or takes statutory leave during the period of notice, the expiry of the period of notice shall be postponed until the end of the temporary incapacity for work or leave (Article 64).
In compliance with the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on State Social Insurance Pensions (No I-549), in 2021, the retirement age for women is 63 years for 4 months, for men - 64 years for 2 months. The retirement age has been increasing annually from 1 January 2012 by four months per year for women and by two months per year for men and this will continue until the statutory retirement age of 65 years, as established in the aforementioned law, is reached in 2026.
Pay
Pay: For workers, the reward for work and main source of income; for employers, a cost of production and focus of bargaining and legislation. This section looks into minimum wage setting in Lithuania and guides the reader to further material on collective wage bargaining.
During the last five years gross average monthly earnings in Lithuania have been steadily increasing. According to Statistics Lithuania, during 2015–2019, the average gross monthly earnings in Lithuania increased from €714.1 to €1,296.4. The highest increase was registered in 2019 when the gross average wages increased from €924.1 to €1,296.4. However, it should be noted that the high increase in Lithuania in 2019 was due to a major tax reform during which the tax burden was shifted from employers to employees. As a consequence, the gross wages of employees had to be increased by 28.9% to compensate the effect of the increased rates. According to Statistics Lithuania, during 2015–2019, the average monthly net earnings in Lithuania increased by almost 50% (from €553.9 to €822.1). The average net wages of men and women were €866.3 and €777.5 respectively in 2019. During the last five years the gender pay gap in Lithuania decreased by 4.2 percentage points: from 15.5% in 2015 to 11.3% in 2019.
Analysis of net average monthly earnings by economic activities shows that persons paid at the highest rate in 2019 were employed in information and communication (€1,422.3) and financial and insurance activities (€1,409.2); and the lowest salaries were in accommodation and food service activities (€597.0) and arts, entertainment and recreation (€682.5). In 3Q 2020 in Lithuania, the gross earnings (monthly) of part-time employees constituted around 48.5% of the earnings of all employees.
In Lithuania, workers are entitled to 12 wages per year.
Total |
Men |
Women |
||||
2015 |
2019 |
2015 |
2019 |
2015 |
2019 |
|
Total economy (including individual enterprises) – all NACE activities |
553.9 |
822.1 |
598.1 |
866.3 |
511.5 |
777.5 |
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A) |
482.8 |
721.9 |
494.9 |
736.4 |
454.9 |
688.9 |
Mining and quarrying (B) |
678.9 |
934.4 |
685.7 |
934.4 |
643.6 |
934.5 |
Manufacturing (C) |
563.6 |
834.7 |
628.9 |
918.8 |
480.4 |
722.5 |
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (D) |
722.7 |
986.5 |
739.2 |
1,006.6 |
671.9 |
920.5 |
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (E) |
582.3 |
791.9 |
599.5 |
805.0 |
537.0 |
757.1 |
Construction (F) |
517.5 |
742.3 |
518.8 |
735.7 |
506.9 |
797.0 |
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G) |
507.9 |
763.8 |
579.2 |
856.9 |
449.7 |
686.6 |
Transportation and storage (H) |
530.8 |
715.6 |
518.5 |
691.5 |
570.8 |
816.1 |
Accommodation and food service activities (I) |
364.9 |
597.0 |
414.1 |
675.2 |
349.9 |
571.8 |
Information and communication (J) |
936.7 |
1,422.3 |
1,065.7 |
1,590.4 |
750.9 |
1,157.8 |
Financial and insurance activities (K) |
1,023.0 |
1,409.2 |
1,374.9 |
1,806.6 |
863.4 |
1,204.3 |
Real estate activities (L) |
530.4 |
741.8 |
557.0 |
779.1 |
491.8 |
696.5 |
Professional, scientific and technical activities (M) |
694.4 |
1,032.7 |
758.9 |
1,136.9 |
643.5 |
958.1 |
Administrative and support service activities (N) |
477.4 |
700.7 |
494.8 |
734.0 |
454.4 |
661.2 |
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security (O) |
678.2 |
985.4 |
681.9 |
1,004.6 |
674.5 |
967.4 |
Education (P) |
504.9 |
764.1 |
529.9 |
801.2 |
497.9 |
754.4 |
Human health and social work activities (Q) |
542.4 |
879.2 |
684.1 |
1,093.0 |
516.1 |
841.7 |
Arts, entertainment and recreation (R) |
458.8 |
682.5 |
502.9 |
749.2 |
435.4 |
648.5 |
Other service activities (S) |
462.5 |
687.4 |
548.8 |
771.1 |
418.9 |
646.0 |
Source: Statistics Lithuania
Lithuania is a country with a statutory minimum wage. In Lithuania, the minimum wage is specified as a monthly rate and as an hourly rate. According to Article 141 of the Labour Code, the minimum hourly pay and the minimum monthly wage in Lithuania is determined by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the recommendation of the Tripartite Council of the Republic of Lithuania (TCRL). The TCRL meeting of 21 September 2017 decided that, with a view to depoliticising the setting of the minimum wage levels, the ratio between the minimum wage and the average wage should be maintained at 45–50%, and should correspond to the average quarter of that in EU countries with the highest minimum to average wage ratio, as determined on the basis of Eurostat data published for the last three years. According to the Labour Code, the minimum wage in Lithuania can be paid only for unskilled labour which is defined as labour which does not require any special qualifications or professional skills.
From 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020, the minimum monthly rate in Lithuania was €607 and the hourly rate – €3.72. In compliance with Resolution No 1114 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the Minimum Wage (14 October 2020), as of 1 January 2021, the minimum monthly rate in Lithuania constitutes €642 and the hourly rate – €3.93.
Period |
01/07/2015 –31/12/2015 |
01/01/2016 –30/06/2016 |
01/07/2016 –31/12/2017 |
01/01/2018 - 01/01/2019 |
/01/01/2019 -1/01/2020 |
01/01/2020-01/01/2021 |
From 01/01/2021 |
Amount |
€325.00 |
€350.00 |
€380.00 |
€400.00 |
€555.00 |
€607.00 |
€642.00 |
Source: Statistics Lithuania
For more information regarding the level and development of minimum wages, please see:
For more detailed information on the most recent outcomes in terms of collectively agreed pay, please see:
Working time
Working time: ‘Any period during which the worker is working, at the employer’s disposal and carrying out his activities or duties, in accordance with national laws and/or practice’ (Directive 2003/88/EC). This section briefly summarises regulation and issues regarding working time, overtime, part-time work as well as working time flexibility in Lithuania.
Basic provisions regulating working time in Lithuania are established in the Labour Code No XII-2603 (Chapter VIII, Section 1). In accordance with the Labour Code (Article 112), the length of a working week in Lithuania is 40 hours, unless shorter working hours are statutorily established by labour laws or part-time work is agreed by the parties. Average working time, including overtime but excluding agreement on additional work, cannot exceed 48 hours within each period of seven consecutive days. Maximum of working time (overtime and additional job included) cannot exceed 12 hours per day and 60 hours per week. It is prohibited to work more than six days during seven consecutive days.
Where employee works under the cumulative working time regime, maximum working time within each period of seven consecutive days may not exceed 52 hours. This limit does not apply for work which is performed under the agreement on additional work or for standby duty. Summary working time regime can be introduced if there is necessity and after liaising with employee representatives.
Maximum working time requirements may vary from those laid down by the Labour Code in transport, postal, and agricultural undertakings, energy, health care and social care establishments, as well as in some other sectors of economic activities. The peculiarities of working time and rest periods are established by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania or specified in collective agreements.
For more detailed information on working time (including annual leave, statutory and collectively agreed working time), please consult:
Provisions regulating overtime in Lithuania are established in the Labour Code No XII-2603 (Chapter VIII, Section 1). In accordance with the Labour Code (Article 119), in Lithuania, an employer may assign overtime work only subject to an employee’s consent and/or in the following exceptional cases:
According to the Labour Code, employee’s overtime work must not exceed eight hours in seven consecutive calendar days, unless an employee gives written consent to work up to 12 overtime hours per week. Maximum overtime may not exceed 180 hours per year, unless longer term is established under collective agreement.
In accordance with the Labour Code (Article 144), the overtime pay shall be at least one and a half times the hourly pay/monthly wages established for the employee. The overtime pay during public holiday shall be at least two and a half times the hourly pay/monthly wages established for the employee. For overtime during the night, the pay shall be at least double the rate of the hourly pay/monthly wages established for the employee.
In Lithuania, part-time work is regulated by the Labour Code (Article 40). According to LC, in Lithuania part-time work is established by reducing the number of working hours per day, reducing the number of working days per working week or month, or both. The condition of part-time work may be established on a fixed-term or open-ended basis. Unless agreed otherwise, an employee who has agreed to work part-time has the right to request, no more than once every six months, that the part-time work conditions be changed. The employer must review this request and provide the employee with a reasoned decision within 10 working days.
During fulfilment of an employment contract, an employee who has been in an employment relationship with the employer for at least three years shall have the right to submit a written request to temporarily work part-time. The employer may only refuse to satisfy an employee’s request to temporarily work part-time for valid reasons.
Part-time employment accounts for quite a small proportion of work in Lithuania. In 2019, part-time employees constituted around 6.2% of total employees (EU27 average in 2019 was 17.8%).
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Total (EU27) |
18.2 |
18.1 |
18 |
17.8 |
17.8 |
16.6 |
Total (Lithuania) |
7.6 |
7.1 |
7.4 |
6.9 |
6.2 |
6 |
Women (EU27) |
30.2 |
30 |
29.8 |
29.5 |
29.4 |
27.6 |
Women (Lithuania) |
9.7 |
8.7 |
9.2 |
8.7 |
7.8 |
7.4 |
Men (EU27) |
8 |
7.9 |
7.9 |
7.7 |
7.8 |
7.2 |
Men (Lithuania) |
5.4 |
5.3 |
5.5 |
5.1 |
4.6 |
4.7 |
Source: Eurostat Labour Force Survey [lfsi_pt_a] – Persons employed part-time (20 to 64 years of age) – total and by sex.
As in the EU28, women in Lithuania work part time more often compared to men, although the share of women working part time in 2019 in Lithuania – 7.8% – is well below the EU average for the same year (30.7%).
Involuntary part-time workers can be defined as those working part time because they could not find a full-time job.
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Total (EU27) |
32.3 |
31.0 |
29.7 |
28.0 |
26.5 |
25.0 |
Total (Lithuania) |
32.1 |
31.7 |
31.0 |
25.2 |
23.7 |
30.0 |
Women (EU27) |
28.8 |
27.7 |
26.4 |
25.2 |
23.9 |
22.5 |
Women (Lithuania) |
34.9 |
31.4 |
31.2 |
24.0 |
24.1 |
30.5 |
Men (EU27) |
43.6 |
41.8 |
40.4 |
37.2 |
34.9 |
33.1 |
Men (Lithuania) |
26.8 |
32.3 |
30.8 |
27.4 |
23.0 |
29.3 |
Source: Eurostat Labour Force Survey [lfsa_eppgai]- involuntary part-time employment as a percentage of the total part-time employment, by sex and age (20 to 64 years of age)
In Lithuania, in 2019 total involuntary part-time employment among people aged 20-64 constituted 23.7% (EU27 – 26.5%). During 2012–2019, the share of involuntary part-timers in Lithuania decreased significantly (from 33.2% to 23.7%). The share of men and women in involuntary part-time employment remained quite stable in Lithuania over the entire period from 2012 to 2019, standing at 23.0% for men and 24.1% for women in 2019. In 2020, there was a significant rise of involuntary part-time employment which constituted 30% of total part-time employment, both for men and women.
In Lithuania, night work is regulated by the Labour Code (Article 117). According to the Labour Code, night time is defined as calendar time from 22.00 to 06.00. A night worker is an employee who:
Normally, a night worker should not work more than an average of eight hours per working day (shift) during a three-month accounting period unless a longer period is agreed in a collective agreement concluded at a higher level than that with the employer.
The night work pay shall be at least one and a half times the hourly pay/monthly wages established for the employee.
There is no special definition of shift work in Lithuania. However, the employer in applying shift work has to strictly adhere to the Labour Code regulation on work and rest time (Chapter VIII). What is of relevance for shift work are the articles on summary recording of working time (Art. 115), working time mode (Art. 113), requirements regarding maximum working time (Art. 114) and minimum rest time (Art. 122), the working time mode of on-call work (Art. 118) and others.
Weekend work in Lithuania is treated as working on rest days. According to the Labour Code (Article 124), a rest day is a day free from work according to the working time regime. Labour Code regulates that Sunday shall be a general rest day. An employer may assign work on a rest day only with the consent of the employee, except in the case of summary recording of working time and in the cases set out in the CA. Work on a rest day which has not been provided for in the work (shift) schedule shall be paid at the double rate at least of the employee's wage. Overtime work on a rest day which has not been provided for in the work (shift) schedule shall be paid at the double rate at least of the employee's wage.
Provisions regulating rest time in Lithuania are established in the Chapter VIII of Labour Code (Section 2) Article 122. According to the aforementioned Article, a rest period is defined as time free from work. Employees shall be granted a break to rest and to eat not later than after five working hours. Unless a split regime is agreed by the parties, the break may not be shorter than thirty minutes and not longer than two hours.
The duration of uninterrupted rest between working days (shifts) may not be shorter than 11 consecutive hours. The duration of uninterrupted rest may not be shorter than 35 hours in a period of seven consecutive working days. For employees whose working day (shift) is longer than 12 hours (but no longer than 24 hours), the duration of uninterrupted rest may not be shorter than 24 hours.
The length, beginning and end of breaks, as well as other conditions are stipulated in the provisions of labour law and work (shift) schedules. Employees who cannot be granted a break to rest and to eat due to technical production conditions should be given the conditions to eat during their working time.
Employees working outdoors, under conditions involving professional risk and/or carrying out strenuous or mentally demanding work shall be granted special breaks whose length per day (shift) and the conditions of granting them shall be established by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
In accordance with Article 113 of the Labour Code, an employer may set a flexible working schedule for the employees. Employees working flexible schedules must be at the workplace during the fixed hours of a working day (shift) and may work the rest of the time of the working day (shift) before or after those hours. The fixed hours of the working day (shift) are determined by the employer. Such working hours may be changed upon giving the employee at least two working days’ notice. If so agreed with the employer, the fixed hours not worked during a working day (shift) may be carried over to another working day without prejudice to the requirements applicable to the maximum work time and the minimum rest time (Article 116).
Health and well-being
Maintaining health and well-being should be a high priority for workers and employers alike. Health is an asset closely associated with a person’s quality of life and longevity, as well as their ability to work. A healthy economy depends on a healthy workforce: organisations can experience loss of productivity through the ill-health of their workers. This section looks into psychosocial risks and health and safety in Lithuania.
In Lithuania, the requirements of occupational safety and health are regulated by Law No IX-1672 of the Republic of Lithuania on Safety and Health at Work, as approved on 1 July 2003. The Law sets out the rights and obligations of employees and employers, the institutional system to ensure occupational safety and health, and establishes special provisions for the protection of individual groups of employees (pregnant employees, employees who have recently given birth, breast-feeding employees, employees under eighteen years of age, disabled employees). The law also regulates the general provisions of the procedure for assessing occupational risks and investigating accidents at work and occupational diseases.
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
|
All accidents |
2,758 |
2,938 |
3,338 |
3,229 |
n/a |
Percent change on previous year |
6.1 |
6.5 |
13.6 |
-3.3 |
n/a |
Per 1,000 employees |
2.4 |
2.5 |
2.9 |
2.8 |
n/a |
Source: Eurostat, [hsw_mi01] and [lfsa_eegaed]
According to Eurostat, the number of accidents at work has been quite significantly growing in Lithuania since 2011, a trend that continued up to 2018, when there was a smalll decrease. In 2018, the rate of accidents at work in Lithuania per 1,000 workers was 2.8.
According to Statistics Lithuania (Survey on accidents at work and occupational diseases), the total number of accidents at work was 3,871 in 2018 (37 fatal and 3,834 non-fatal accidents). This shows an 8% increase compared to 2017.
The Labour Code and Law on Safety and Health at Work of the Republic of Lithuania No IX-1672 determine the duty of the employer to ensure safety and health of workers at work in all aspects related to work. It is a general obligation for employers to carry out a risk assessment also for psychosocial factors. The main legal instrument regulating the assessment of psychosocial risks in Lithuania is the General Regulations on the Assessment of Professional Risk, approved by Order No A1-457/V-961 of 25 October 2012 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania and the Minister for Health of the Republic of Lithuania.
According to the European Working Conditions Survey, in 2015, 43.0% of employees reported working to tight deadlines at least a quarter of the time; 31.0% said they worked more than 10 hours once or more per month; and 4.0% said they had been subjected to discrimination at work over the past 12 months.
For more detailed information on health and safety at work, please consult:
Skills, learning and employability
Skills are the passport to employment; the better skilled an individual, the more employable they are. Good skills also tend to secure better-quality jobs and better earnings. This section briefly summarises the Lithuanian system for ensuring skills and employability and looks into the extent of training.
In Lithuania, the main institution implementing skills development policy is the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (MESS). The MESS shapes national policies in the area of education and qualifications and is responsible for the organisation, coordination and control of the implementation of the policy. The MESS is assisted by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour (MSSL), which coordinates, analyses and evaluates the implementation of labour market and employment support policies (including vocational education and training of the unemployed), and by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation (MEI), which organises prognostic studies of the labour market’s human resources demand, generalises findings of current and perspective analyses of skills supply and demand on the labour market, and formulates conclusions and recommendations to the Government and other public authorities/agencies.
Two main forecasting instruments Lithuania measure and assess labour market needs for labour and skills. The forecasting tools developed by the Employment Service (ES) under the MSSL help to compile a national forecast, job opportunity barometer and occupations map; this is supplemented by the qualifications (skills) map developed by the Government Strategic Analysis Center STRATA.
On the national level the Lithuanian Vocational Education Council has been established to advise national education authorities on solving strategic vocational education and training (VET) issues. It consists of 15 members: in equal parts of representatives of State governance (MESS, MSSL, MEI, Ministry of Agriculture and Association of Local Authorities) and organisations representing employers’ and employees’ interests.
Another national level advisory institution is the Central Professional Committee (CPC). It coordinates strategic issues pertaining to development of the qualifications system. Its main roles are: to establish priority sectors for the qualifications system; discuss and suggest decisions regarding the qualifications system’s structure; advise on ensuring correspondence between qualifications and labour market needs; accredit competence assessment institutions. The committee members are representatives of State and municipality level governance, VET providers, social partners.
The main advisory bodies in designing VET provision are sectoral professional committees (SPC). 17 SPCs have been established in Lithuania. Members of SPCs represent employers, education and training providers, trade unions, and public organisations in specific sectors. The main roles of these committees are: to advise on sectoral qualifications and competences needed to acquire them; to set priorities for developing qualifications standards; and to endorse standards and analyse consistency of training programmes with the requirements prescribed in the standards.
The main measure designed to adapt higher education/VET to the labour market needs is the inclusion of employers and associated business entities into the development of training/study programmes, programme implementation and assessment of graduates’ competences.
In Lithuania, the MESS is the main national public institution responsible for training regulation and development. The Qualification and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre also contributes to the implementation of the aforementioned activities. The Centre is an institution implementing the national VET development policy in Lithuania. The main functions of the Centre include the development of professional and VET standards, performance of prognostic studies of the demand for qualifications and adult education surveys, formation of the qualifications system and the assessment of formal VET programmes.
According to the European Company Survey 2019, the largest share of employees in establishments with 10 or more employees in Lithuania receives less than 20% paid time off for training (such an answer was indicated by almost half (46%) of the surveyed companies). The largest proportion of employees receiving training on the establishment premises or at other locations during paid working time was reported in small enterprises (with 10-49 employees). Around 17% of such companies indicated that 80% or more employees participate in training sessions on the establishment premises or at other locations during paid working time.
Work organisation
Work organisation underpins economic and business development and has important consequences for productivity, innovation and working conditions. Eurofound research finds that some types of work organisation are associated with a better quality of work and employment. Therefore, developing or introducing different forms of work organisation are of particular interest because of the expected effects on productivity, efficiency and competitiveness of companies, as well as on workers’ working conditions. Ongoing research by Eurofound, based on EurWORK, the European Working Conditions Survey and the European Company Survey, monitors developments in work organisation.
For more detailed information on work organisation, please consult:
For Lithuania, the European Company Survey 2019 shows that between 2016 and 2019 43% of establishments with 10 or more employees reported the change in software that helped to meet the needs of the establishment; 31% of establishments introduced some new or significantly changed processes for producing goods or supplying services. However, the digitalisation process is still quite slow in Lithuanian companies – only 5% of establishments with 10 or more employees reported using robots (the EU average – 8%); only in one tenth of companies in Lithuania 80% or more employees are using personal computers or laptops to carry out their daily tasks (the EU average – 35%). In Lithuania, around 39% of establishments work in a single management-directed team; in most establishments, only less than 20% of employees have the possibility of independently organising their own time and scheduling their own tasks. According to the European Working Conditions Survey 2015, in Lithuania, 66% of employees are able to choose or change their methods of work (the EU average is 69%).
According to Statistics Lithuania, in 2Q 2019, 6.6% of employed persons (aged 15 and older) always and 21.1% frequently worked under time pressure; 78% of employed persons were not able to choose working hours appropriate to them (working hours were set by the employer or determined by customers); 81.5% of employed persons worked in the premises provided for by the employer; and 80.6% of employed persons reported that their presence at work and/or working hours were recorded in one way or another.
In 2020, researchers from Klaipeda University (KU) performed an assessment of the effects of COVID-19-related restrictions on economic activity and state interventions in terms of their effectiveness for companies in the Klaipėda region. The assessment activities included a survey of Klaipėda region companies (77 business entities operating in seven municipalities of the Klaipėda region were interviewed). The survey showed how the nature of work organisation in companies changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the survey, business entities most often applied the following measures related to work organisation: organised telework (reported by 58.9% of respondents), put employees to downtime (50.7%), suspended staff recruitment (31.5%), and shortened working hours (30.1%). Measures mentioned less frequently included: reduction in the number of working days (16.4%), redundancies (13.7%), reduced number of shifts (8.2%). 16.4% of business entities reported no changes in the nature of work organisation; 5.5% hired additional employees; 2.7% and 1.4% of business entities extended working hours and increased the number of shifts, respectively (KU, 2020).
In 2019, the Big Now social media agency and its partners conducted a survey of employee engagement and employer characteristics in the Baltic States. During the survey, a total of 500 employed persons aged 16–75 were interviewed in Lithuania. The study demonstrated that Lithuania had the lowest level of employee engagement (the index was 42) compared to other Baltic countries (the index was 60 for Latvia and 66 for Estonia). The researchers come to a conclusion that the majority of Lithuanian employees are sluggish about getting engaged in the daily activities of their companies and, therefore, often both company’s resources and employees’ potential remain untapped. Taking into account the results of the survey, it is assumed that the boss culture is overly pronounced in Lithuania where the head of an organisation is considered infallible, dominant and often is a sole decision maker (Big Now, 2019).
In 2020, the Government Strategic Analysis Center STRATA conducted a survey about researchers’ working conditions in Lithuanian universities and research institutes, in which 794 employees of universities and research institutes were interviewed. The survey showed that about half (55%) of researchers were satisfied with their working conditions in universities and research centres, but about two-fifths (42%) of them said they were not satisfied with the financial remuneration they received. Most researchers were positive about their relations with superiors and support staff, but found administrative processes too complex and time-consuming. The survey also showed that 62% of researchers were often/very often worried about work (outside working hours); 55% of researchers felt too tired to engage in other activities in their free time; 48% said there work impeded their family/personal life (STRATA, 2020).
Equality and non-discrimination at work
The main legal acts ensuring equality and non-discrimination at work in Lithuania are the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Equal Treatment (LET) No IX-1826 and the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (LEOWM) No VIII-947.
The Law on Equal Treatment enshrines the equality of persons and prohibition against restrictions on human rights or extensions of privileges on the grounds of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, social status, belief, convictions or views. The LEOWM establishes general principles for ensuring equal rights between women and men and bans any form of discrimination with regard to gender.
The body responsible for ensuring the principle of equal opportunities in Lithuania is the Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson (OEOO). The OEOO monitors and controls the implementation of the above laws by national and municipal authorities and agencies, education, research, study and other institutions, and employers.
The equal pay for equal work principal in Lithuania is enshrined in Article 7 of the LET and Article 6 of the LEOWM, laying down that the same work or the work of equivalent value shall be equally paid for. In Lithuania, the implementation of the LEOWM is monitored and supervised by the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. Each natural and legal person shall have the right to file a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson concerning the violation of equal rights.
According to Eurostat figures, the gender pay gap (GPG) in unadjusted form in Lithuania was 14.0% in 2018. Compared to 2017, GPG decreased by 1.2 percentage points (from 15.2% to 14.0%). In Lithuania, GPG indicators peaked in 2007 and 2008, reaching 22.6% and 21.6%, respectively. According to Statistics Lithuania, in 2019 GPG in Lithuania (including individual enterprises) was 13.3% (in 2018 – 14.0%).
In Lithuania, there is no legal obligation for specific quotas in place, nor is there a quota for companies to employ certain (disadvantaged) groups of workers.
Working life links
Bibliography
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