Large talent pool
According to multinational companies, the most positive experience they have had in Lithuania is the high quality of staff which made it possible for them to reach the critical production level much faster than expected. The following are the key competences of the Lithuanian market named by foreign investors:
- High number of graduates
- Western culture
- Well-spoken English everywhere
- Many other languages available on the market
- Quick learners and very loyal employees
Among most multilingual in the EU
Lithuanians are a multi-lingual nation, which makes Lithuanian employees even more attractive. According to the Europeans and Languages survey, 90 percent of Lithuanians are able to participate in a conversation in a language other than their mother tongue. The EU-25 average is only 50 percent. 50 percent of the population speaks two foreign languages. Figures provided by Eurostat show that 90 percent of Lithuanians are able to speak Russian, almost 40 percent speak English, and around 20 percent are able to lead a discussion in the German language.
2 universities in Lithuania have special curriculums of Scandanavian languages. Also, CSC, Lindorff Group, Unicall, Runway International, operating in Lithuania, have specially designed 3-5 month courses of Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, and the trained local employees successfully serve clients in Scandinavian languages.
Among most educated nations in the EU
In 2011, the share of the population aged 25–64 having completed at least upper secondary education in the EU made up 72.7 per cent. Lithuania had the highest 92 percentage among the EU countries.
30 percent of the Lithuanian population hold higher education degrees, compared to the EU average of 24 percent. And even 40 percent of the 25 - 34 year olds have higher education, which is almost twice as high as the EU-15 average.
| Field of education | University and college students, at the beginning of the academic year 2010-2011 | Number of graduates (BA & MA), at universities in 2010 | Number of graduates at colleges in 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities | 7144 | 1556 | 82 |
| Social sciences | 16388 | 3785 | - |
| Business and administration | 50567 | 7131 | 5968 |
| Computer sciences | 4547 | 1020 | 138 |
| TOTAL: | 78646 | 13492 | 67188 |
Innovators and authors of world-scale inventions
With 40% of talent concentrated in science and technology, Lithuania maintains a pool of 18,000 researchers and scientists.
Lithuanians are authors and pioneers of:
- medicine against cancer Tevagrastim©, just as effective but by 30% cheaper than a previously existing version
- 3 times quicker way to cut genes using enzymes
- transfer of laser research into manufacture
Salary Rates
Labour costs in Lithuania are more than twice lower than those in other EU countries and the US. The minimum monthly wage in Lithuania is currently 232 EUR, and the minimum hourly wage is 1.4 EUR. The average gross monthly earnings have decreased due to the economic recession. After reaching a peak of EUR 672 in 2008 Q3, they decreased to EUR 617 in 2011.
Source: Lithuanian Department of Statistics, www.stat.gov.lt
Eurostat has announced statistics of average gross wages as well as price level across a number of European countries.
Lithuania again has maintained one of the best positions in terms of countries with lowest wages as well as commodity prices.
