Fewer Lithuanians are considering emigration, but most would leave for Germany, according to a press release from the Employment Service. These trends were revealed by the Eurobarometer survey on the free movement of workers commissioned by the European Commission. The survey was carried out in all EU countries last year, interviewing 26,400 respondents, including 1,000 in Lithuania.
Security and political stability are top priorities for Lithuanians looking for work abroad. Around 27 percent of respondents in Lithuania ranked this indicator as very important.
Compared to a similar survey conducted in 2009, the number of Lithuanians planning to live or work abroad has dropped by 28 percent. People say they are less interested in working abroad because they have a good job in Lithuania, are unable to leave due to family commitments, or have limited foreign language skills.
Among those who consider living and working abroad, most cite higher pay as the main reason, while 26 percent said they know friends or family members who have already moved to foreign countries.
The number of Lithuanians who would like to work in Germany has increased by 11 percent over the past year. The UK is the second most popular destination. New foreign destinations that are growing in popularity every year are Switzerland and North America.
