Human rights organisations and trade unions in Lithuania expressed concern about widespread exploitation of foreign workers in the country, BNS reported. Trade unions said that third-country nationals often had their passports or residence permits taken away at work, were assigned jobs different from those agreed, and were being subjected to excessive overtime and arbitrary fines….
Estonia had an average 38,000 people registered as unemployed in the third quarter of 2026, which was 5,600 (13%) fewer than in the same period of 2025, according to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa), ERR reported. The share of the country’s working-age labour force registered as unemployed stood at 5.5%, which was down from…
The Lithuanian government has approved the draft state budget for 2027, BNS reports. Budget revenue, including EU funds, is expected at nearly EUR 22.2bn, which would be up 5.2% from 2026, BNS reports. Budget spending will total EUR 27.9bn, up 1.3% over a year. The State Social Insurance Fund’s (SoDra) revenue is projected at nearly…
Estonians travelled less and Lithuanians and Latvians more in 2025 than a year earlier, according to Eurostat, LSM reports. The data showed that Lithuanians made altogether 7.19 million overnight trips in 2025, which was up 4.4% from 6.89 million in 2024. The number of trips by Latvian residents totalled 5.04 million, which was up 3.0%…
Altogether 12,294 Lithuanian citizens returned to Lithuania while 11,753 moved away from the country in the first nine months of 2026, according to the State Data Agency’s preliminary statistics, LRT reported. In September 2026, the number of emigrants was higher than that of returnees. Until now, the number of Lithuanians returning home has been higher…
GDP growth in the Baltic States will be strongest in Lithuania in 2026, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest World Economic Outlook, LETA reports. The IMF projects GDP growth of 2.7% in Lithuania, 2.3% in Latvia, and 2.1% in Estonia in 2026. In 2027, the GDP will grow by 2.2% in Estonia, 2.1%…
Estonia’s annual GDP growth will reach around 2.5% in 2026, 2027, and 2028, the Bank of Estonia forecasts, Estonian World reports. The country’s economic recovery is driven by increased household consumption following tax changes, higher government spending financed by borrowing, and stronger manufacturing exports. The central bank urged to boost productivity and competitiveness. The biggest…
Housing prices in the Baltic States rose the most in Lithuania in the second quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data, BNS reported. Compared to the second quarter of 2025, housing prices in Lithuania rose by 14.3%, which was the third-largest increase in the EU. In Latvia, housing prices went up by 11.4% and in…
The chairman of Estonia’s national-conservative opposition party, Fatherland, Urmas Reinsalu, signalled major changes in economic policy after the parliamentary elections in March 2027, ERR reports. He said that the current government had failed to manage state finances and argued that government operating costs should have been cut more. Fatherland’s first task therefore was to fix…
