Employee optimism about wage growth is waning in the Baltic States, according to Citadele Bank’s Purchasing Barometer survey in August 2025, BNS reports. The survey showed that 15% of Lithuanian workers expect a pay rise in the next three months, compared to 12% in Latvia and just 6% in Estonia. Meanwhile, 10% of workers in…
The Foreign Investors Council in Latvia (FICIL) has called for reforming the country’s labour laws, LSM reports. FICIL said that Latvia’s labour market faced “growing structural challenges”, which it said were “driven by demographic decline, a mismatch between labour skills and market needs, and outdated regulations.” The business lobby group called for reforms to “enhance…
Lithuania’s GDP rose by 3% over a year in 2024 to EUR 79bn at current prices, according to the State Data Agency’s (VDA) revised data, BNS reports. Gross value added in manufacturing rose by 2.9% and in wholesale and retail trade by 2.6% in constant prices. Growth in professional, scientific, and technical activities stood at…
Latvia’s National Armed Forces (NBS) intends to recruit an additional 500 professional soldiers, Baltic News Network reports. NBS plans to recruit altogether 8,000 professional soldiers over 2025. The Defence Ministry has allocated up to EUR 7.7mn of state budget funds for military staff salaries in 2025. Another EUR 6.5mn will be needed in 2026. The…
Lithuania’s average gross monthly wage amounted to EUR 2,218 in 2024, which was up by EUR 204 (10.2%) from 2023, according to the State Data Agency (VDA), BNS reports. The average net monthly wage increased by EUR 116 (9.3%) to EUR 1,365. Real wages rose by 8.5% over a year. The main drivers of wage…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has submitted to the country’s parliament, the Saeima, amendments that would freeze the wages of top management in state-owned enterprises (SOE), LETA reports. Under the proposal, the wages of top executives at state and municipal companies would be frozen until the end of 2026. Rinkevics stressed that the remuneration of top…
Doctors now enjoy the highest salaries in Estonia, surpassing IT experts, according to data from recruitment portal CV Keskus, BNS reported. Salaries offered to doctors now stand at an average of EUR 3,650-4,150 per month, followed by sales managers with EUR 1,900-4,000 and IT specialists with EUR 2,900-3,750. Meanwhile, average salary offers for sales specialists…
Latvia has a shortage of more than 1,000 police officers, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis stated, LSM reports. The biggest shortage is in the State Police. In 2023, as many as 200 more officers left the State Police than were recruited. Kozlovskis said that he would ask for more funding to raise salaries in internal affairs…
Amid rising incomes and optimism about their financial situation, Lithuanians are spending more on food and non-essentials but are increasingly reluctant to dine out due to high restaurant prices driven by rising labour costs and the expiration of pandemic-era tax breaks, LRT reports. While supermarket food sales are boosting economic growth, restaurant turnover has fallen…