Analytics, Baltic, Employment, Labour-market, Lithuania

In I quarter 2015, the male unemployment rate stood at 11.1%, female – 8.9%.

In I quarter 2015, the long-term unemployment rate stood at 4.2% and over a quarter decreased by 0.5 percentage points, over a year – by 1 percentage point.

Unemployment in 2014-2015, by quarters

In I quarter 2015, there were 145.8 thousand unemployed persons aged 15–74. Over a quarter, the number of unemployed persons decreased by 2 thousand (1.3%), over a year – by 37.6 thousand (20.5%).

The number of the long-term unemployed was 61.6 thousand (42.2% of the total number of the unemployed), which is by 7.2 thousand (10.4%) less than in IV quarter 2014, and by 14.8 thousand (19.3%) less than in I quarter 2014.

Over a quarter, the employment rate of persons aged 55–64 grew by 2.2 percentage points

In I quarter 2015, there were 1 million 317 thousand employed persons in the country, or by 4.9 thousand (0.4%) less than in IV quarter 2014, and by 22.2 thousand (1.7%) more than in I quarter 2014. Over a quarter, the largest decrease in the number of employed persons was observed in enterprises engaged in trade (11.7 thousand) and industry (7.9 thousand), while increase – agriculture, forestry and fishing (9 thousand).

In I quarter 2015, the employment rate of persons aged 15–64 stood at 66%; over a quarter, it decreased by 0.1 percentage points, and over a year, it increased by 1.8 percentage points. The male employment rate of the said age group stood at 66.9%, female – 65.1%.

In I quarter 2015, the employment rate of persons aged 55–64 stood at 58.7%; over a quarter, it increased by 2.2 percentage points, and over a year – by 3.6 percentage points.

In I quarter 2015, there were 1 million 32 thousand economically inactive persons aged 15 and older, i.e. by 1.9 thousand (0.2%) more than in IV quarter 2014.

Over a quarter, the youth unemployment rate increased by 1.6 percentage points

In I quarter 2015, the youth (persons aged 15–24) unemployment rate stood at 19.9%; over a quarter, it increased by 1.6 percentage points, and over a year, decreased by 1.3 percentage points.

In I quarter 2015, there were 24.7 thousand unemployed persons aged 15–24, which is by 0.9 thousand (3.7%) more than in IV quarter 2014, and by 2.5 thousand (9%) less than in I quarter 2014. In I quarter 2015, every fifteenth person aged 15–24 was unemployed.

In I quarter 2015, there were 99.7 thousand employed persons aged 15–24. Over a quarter, the number of employed persons aged 15–24 decreased by 7.1 thousand (6.7%), over a year – by 1.5 thousand (1.5%).

In I quarter 2015, the youth employment rate stood at 26.4%; over a quarter, it decreased by 1.7 percentage points, over a year – increased by 0.5 percentage points. In I quarter 2015, every fourth person aged 15–24 was employed.

In I quarter 2015, 253 thousand (67%) persons aged 15–24 were economically inactive; out of them, 92.9% were studying at general, vocational schools, schools of higher education (colleges, universities).

The unemployment rate in the Baltic States

According to the data of the Baltic States' statistical offices, in I quarter 2015, the highest unemployment rate of persons aged 15–74 was recorded in Latvia (10.2%), the lowest – in Estonia (6.6%), while in Lithuania, it stood at 10%. Over a quarter, in Estonia, the unemployment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points, in Lithuania – decreased by 0.1 percentage points, while in Latvia, it remained unchanged.

Concepts

Unemployed – a non-working person of an established age (15–74 years) who has been actively seeking for a job (during the last four weeks) and is ready to start working in a certain period (two weeks).

Labour force – the total employed persons and the unemployed.

Long-term unemployed person – an unemployed person who has been seeking for a job for one year or longer.

Long-term unemployment rate – an indicator expressed as a ratio of the long-term unemployed to the labour force.

Inactive population – persons who are neither working nor seeking for a job and who can be categorised as neither employed nor unemployed.

Unemployment rate – an indicator expressed as a ratio of the unemployed to the labour force.

Employed persons – persons aged 15 and older doing any kind of work for which they are remunerated in cash or in kind or have income or profit.

Employment rate – an indicator expressed as a ratio of the employed persons of a selected age group to the total population of the same age.

The statistical information has been prepared based on the Labour Force Survey data. The survey is carried out in all EU Member States, using the same concepts and classifications, following the recommendations of the International Labour Organization, which makes its results comparable across the countries.

The survey has been carried using a sampling method. Over I quarter 2015, 12.3 thousand residents (0.5%) aged 15 and older were interviewed; the results were recalculated for the total population.

More detailed statistical information on employment and unemployment is provided in the annex.

More information on the issue is available in the Database of Indicators of Statistics Lithuania.

Table 1. Unemployment rate, %

Table 2. The unemployed, Thousand

Table 3. The unemployed by duration of unemployment, Thousand

Table 4. Economic activity of the population (persons aged 15 and older), Thousand

Table 5. Employed persons by economic activity, Thousand

Table 6. Employment rate, %