Working abroad no longer takes place: both Scandinavians and Germans look for unskilled workers

And due to the crisis caused by the pandemic, it is likely that in 2020 there will be even more returnees or immigrants from third countries.

The same trend prevails in Kėdainiai. According to data from the Department of Statistics, last year 512 people emigrated from Kėdainiai and 652 immigrated. Positive changes in our region are registered for the first time in the last five years, since 2015.

Returning migrants are not potential unemployed

It sounds paradoxical, but with the increase in the number of returning immigrants and Lithuanians, not only the number of unemployed, but also the number of vacancies is increasing. However, according to data from the Employment Service, compatriots returning to Lithuania are not its main clients. LFMI expert L. Stravinskas is also in no rush to “blame” those who have come to our country for rising unemployment.

“It cannot be said that immigrants or returning compatriots constitute the bulk of the unemployed and have contributed significantly to the rise in unemployment. It is likely that most Lithuanian emigrants had higher incomes abroad, so when they return to They already have a precise plan or even a job offer at home, because compared to western countries, the low unemployment benefits in Lithuania would certainly not motivate them.

Immigrants from third countries also come to Lithuania with the aim of working and earning higher wages in Lithuania than in their home country ”, explains L. Stravinskas.

Kedainiai does not stand out from the Lithuanian context

According to the specialist, the unemployment situation in the Kėdainiai district is not exceptional. On September 1, it was 14.6 percent. unemployment, when, for example, in the city of Kaunas 14.5 percent. Registered unemployment throughout the country reaches 14.3 percent and the number of vacancies exceeds 17 thousand.

“These labor market distortions, when both the number of job vacancies and unemployment increase, can be due to several circumstances: recycling and reorientation measures for the employed and the unemployed are not properly targeted and implemented and people do not have enough motivation to enter the labor market.

The lack of motivation of the people seems to play a key role in the allocation of money loaned to the government through untargeted payments, which in this case is only growing, says the LFMI expert. “The € 200 unemployment benefits and the increase in unemployment benefits could have led to an increase in unemployment, as some unemployed simply calculated their opportunity costs and added all the benefits and time off while working, deciding not to it was worth rushing to work, at least until the end of the pandemic. “

According to L. Stravinskas, the increase in the number of unemployed was also influenced by the opportunity given to students of integrated study programs to register as unemployed starting this year.

“Up to two fifths (42.4%) of the unemployed registered with the Employment Service in August were under 30 years old,” said the expert.

Lack of motivation to work.

According to the LFMI specialist, in order to normalize the situation in the labor market and reduce unemployment, the government should first reduce the particularly high unemployment trap.

“It is an indicator that describes the economic motivation of employees to work. It shows how much of the social benefits an unemployed person receives in their income that they would receive if they had a job, explained L. Stravinskas. – According to Eurostat data for 2019, the unemployment trap in Lithuania averaged 87.8%, while the euro area average was only 74.5%.

Also, the unemployment trap is much more stable in the euro zone and has been decreasing for some time, while maintaining an upward trend in Lithuania. “

The specialist points out that people may not be employed not only when there are no vacancies in the market, when the job offered does not meet expectations, but also when social benefits are relatively high compared to the potential salary.

“Lithuania offers various types of work, both skilled and unskilled, with modest and generous pay, both in the public and private sectors. Of course, some qualifications are missing, others are too many, and there is almost always the gap between desires and opportunities. Therefore, people strive to improve: improve their qualifications, change them, acquire new skills to find a suitable job, or simply to earn more.

Access to lifelong learning and affordable retraining services are essential tools that could help more people find the job they want. However, only if people want to find a job for themselves ”, the LFMI expert saw a possible way out of the situation.

Employment abroad rebounded in the summer

With the onset of the pandemic, it became difficult to go to work abroad. But in the height of summer, according to the portal CVonline Rita Karavaitienė, Marketing Manager, started to find job offers in foreign countries again.

“The number of job openings abroad generally increased significantly in April, when seasonal workers were sought to work in southern European countries, mainly in the tourism sector, hospitality, Western Europe and Scandinavia, mainly for jobs in production. , agriculture and construction, “said R. Karavaitienė. – Students often opt for seasonal jobs abroad. This year the situation was completely different.

Immediately after the start of the quarantine, the number of job offers abroad decreased and only at the end of July did their number begin to grow slightly.

With the resurgence of broader opportunities to employ foreign nationals, Scandinavian countries are primarily looking for workers in our country.

“Currently, the main directions for work abroad are Germany, the Netherlands – work in production, warehouses and the Scandinavian countries – work in construction, production, Ireland – in production, warehouses, nursing,” said the interlocutor. – Minimum requirements are established for workers seeking work in production and warehouses, in principle unskilled workers are sought.

Meanwhile, construction work requires adequate qualifications and work experience. “

The most in-demand tech workers

The trends revealed by R. Karavaitienė in recent months are surprising.

“Lithuanian employers are currently in strong competition with foreigners, and Lithuanians are much more careful when choosing jobs, not in a rush to go abroad,” said the spokeswoman for the portal.

According to the interlocutor, currently the most sought-after employees by foreign employers in Lithuania do not differ from the above. It is true that there are also areas where there are very few or no job offers.

“Currently, most job openings are for technology workers: IT specialists, skilled production workers and workers, engineers, technologists (industry, manufacturing, construction, transportation), finance, customer service, sales,” he said. the marketing manager. “The tourism, hospitality, catering and events sectors are not recovering yet, so there are very few job openings for workers in these areas.”