Lithuania’s GDP will grow by 3% in 2026 and 2.3% in 2027, according to Swedbank’s latest macroeconomic outlook, BNS reports. In January 2026, the bank projected that GDP growth would reach 3.5% in 2026 and 2.5% in 2027. Nerijus Maciulis, Swedbank’s chief economist, said that growth would be spurred by consumption, strong exports, and record…
The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has passed amendments that will make it easier to bring skilled and qualified foreign labour into the country, ERR reports. Temporary residence permits for work will be issued under more favourable conditions in sectors deemed suffering from labour shortage, and the maximum number of permits in those sectors will be…
The Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (LBAS) has proposed raising the country’s minimum monthly wage by at least EUR 55 to EUR 835 in 2027, LETA reports. Currently, Latvia’s minimum wage stands at EUR 780 per month, while the tax-free income threshold is EUR 550 per month. LBAS noted that under government rules, the…
Poverty in Lithuania has increased across the country, particularly in remote regions, LRT reports. Nearly 700,000 people are living below the poverty risk threshold. The average poverty level in rural areas is almost twice as high as in cities. In some municipalities, every third resident is living in poverty. Ugne Uzgale, head of strategy and…
A majority of Estonians oppose foreign labour, according to a Norstat poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. The survey shows that 71% of respondents oppose and 19% support bringing in labour from outside the EU, while 52% oppose and 37% support labour from other EU countries. Also, 76% of respondents think…
Lithuania’s GDP will grow by 2.5% in 2025, according to the Bank of Lithuania’s latest forecast, ELTA reports. In September 2025, the central bank projected that the country’s economy would grow by 2.7% in 2025. The bank now expects the GDP to rise by 3.2% in 2026, by 2.3% in 2027, and by 3.0% in…
Most large and medium-sized companies in the Baltic States plan to invest in business development in 2026, according to a Kantar survey for OP Corporate Bank, LSM reports. The survey showed that 87% of enterprises in Lithuania, 85% in Latvia, and 74% in Estonia plan to invest in development. Specifically, Lithuanian companies plan to increase…
The number of job vacancies in Latvia totalled 19,200 in the third quarter of 2025, which was 3,700 (16.1%) less than in the same period of 2024, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The number of vacancies amounted to 10,800 in the private sector and to 8,400 in the public…
The number of job vacancies in Estonia totalled 9,375 in the third quarter of 2025, which was 5.4% less than in the same period of 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. The number of vacancies was the highest in education (2,025) and in wholesale and retail trade (1,264). The vacancy rate stood…