A petition initiated by the mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, on stricter language rules for foreigners has collected more than 22,500 signatures, BNS reports. Under the proposal, non-EU residents would be required to have at least A2-level proficiency in Lithuanian after three years of residence. Earlier, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic argued that…
Latvia’s population totalled 1.845 million people in the beginning of 2026, which was down 15,500 (0.83%) from a year earlier, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reported. The population declined in all regions. Altogether 69.8% of people lived in cities and 30.2% in rural areas, with 46.0% living in Riga region….
The average monthly gross wage in Estonia amounted to EUR 2,135 in the first quarter of 2026, which was up 6.2% from the same period of 2025, according to Statistics Estonia, ERR reported. Wages increased in all counties, rising by 6.5% to EUR 2,538 in Tallinn, by 6.3% to EUR 2,405 in Harjumaa county, and…
The average monthly gross wage in Latvia amounted to EUR 1,831 in the first quarter of 2026, which was an increase of EUR 73 (4.2%) from the same period of 2025, according to provisional data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reported. The average wage rose by 4.6% in the public sector and 4.1%…
Latvians and Lithuanians work longer hours than Estonians, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. The average working hours for employed persons in both Latvia and Lithuania stood at 38.3 hours per week in 2024, compared to just 36.5 hours in Estonia. The EU average was 36.0 hours. For employees, average working hours were 38.6 hours…
The number of unemployed people in Latvia totalled 66,400 in the first quarter of 2026, which was 3,100 (4.5%) fewer than in the same period of 2025, the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP) reported. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, the number of unemployed rose by 2,600 (4.0%), however. The country’s unemployment rate stood at…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has begun consultations with parliamentary groups on forming a new government, Baltic News reports. The President stressed the need to ensure political stability, effective governance, and national security continuity. The discussions are focused on how to build a working coalition in the parliament, the Saeima, and on the future direction of…
The number of unemployed people in Estonia totalled 52,200 in the first quarter of 2026, which was 5,100 more than in the fourth quarter of 2025, but much lower than in the first quarter of 2025, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Estonia’s unemployment rate stood at 7.1%, which was up 0.7 percentage…
The number of unemployed people in Lithuania totalled 146,700 at the end of April 2026, which was 8,400 fewer than a month earlier, according to the Lithuanian Employment Service (UzT), ELTA reports. The country’s unemployment rate stood at 8.1%, which was down from 8.5% a month earlier. Unemployment declined in all municipalities for the second…
