Hire in Lithuania

In instances where labor laws require educational, vocational qualifications, or adherence to health conditions, the employer is entitled to request documentation from prospective candidates as evidence of their qualifications or health status.

However, employers are prohibited from conducting criminal background checks, except in specific cases where the law explicitly permits such inquiries.

The probationary period is capped at three months, although the employer and employee can mutually decide on a shorter duration. Within this probationary period, the employer holds the right to terminate the employment relationship with a three days’ notice without providing severance pay. However, in such instances, the employer must be able to justify that the employee was unsuitable for the job.

In the case of fixed-term contracts lasting less than six months, the probationary period must be proportionate to the contract’s duration, not exceeding half of the fixed-term contract’s timeframe.

The average weekly working time, inclusive of overtime, is set at 48 hours. The maximum daily working time, encompassing both regular and additional hours, is capped at 12 hours, with a weekly limit of 60 hours. Overtime is restricted to a maximum of 8 hours per day (or 12 hours per week if agreed upon by the employee), and the yearly ceiling for overtime is 180 hours.

As per the Labor Law, the standard working week consists of five days with two designated rest days. In cases where the nature of business operations necessitates it, a six-day working week with one rest day is permissible. The weekly uninterrupted rest period should not be less than 35 hours.

Employees are entitled to a break lasting between 30 minutes to two hours for rest and meals after completing half of the working day. This ensures that they do not work more than four consecutive hours without a break.

Written consent from employees is necessary for overtime work, with remuneration mandated to be at least 1.5 times the regular hourly pay.

Work schedules must be displayed on an information board at least two weeks before their effective date. The actual working hours of employees must be documented using a time sheet template. Employers are responsible for establishing rules for recording working time for employees with flexible schedules.

Retention requirements include storing employment contracts for a minimum of 50 years and payroll records for a period of 10 years following termination.

While the 13th-month salary is not obligatory in Lithuania, it is common practice for most companies to provide it as an annual bonus.

Termination of employees is not uncommon in other sectors as well.

Besides mutually agreed-upon employment termination, the most prevalent methods for an employer-initiated termination without the employee’s fault include:

• termination due to objective reasons (ordinary dismissal) (‘darbo sutarties nutraukimas darbdavio iniciatyva be darbuotojo kaltės’)
• termination at the employer’s discretion (‘darbo sutarties nutraukimas darbdavio valia’).

The previously mentioned dismissals vary based on the reasons for termination, the notice period, and the level of protection afforded to employees facing dismissal.

The termination of an employment contract must be documented in writing, specifying the legal grounds for termination. An employment contract may be terminated without notice if:

• the employee has been convicted of a crime
• a parent, guardian, healthcare provider, or the school of enrollment of an employee under the age of 16 requests termination
• an employee is unable to perform the work according to a healthcare institution and is not willing to transfer to another position within the same organization
• the employment contract is in violation of the law

The employer is required to notify the State Social Insurance Fund Board (SODRA) of the termination of employment no later than one day after the conclusion of the employment contract.

The subsequent categories of employees are safeguarded from termination:

• pregnant employees
• employees appointed for military service
• employees on maternity, paternity, or parental leave
• employees caring for a child under 3 years old

A fixed-term employment agreement concludes upon the expiration of the agreed-upon term. The ensuing regulations pertain to notice periods and severance payments:

Notice period: If the employment tenure surpasses one year, a notice period of five business days is applicable. If the employment span exceeds three years, the notice period extends to 10 business days.

Severance payment: An equivalent of one average monthly salary is required to be paid if the employment relationship endures for more than two years.

An employer has the authority to terminate an employment contract without attributing any fault to the employee, but only after providing written notification and obtaining the employee’s signature as confirmation. This notification must be delivered one month prior to dismissal (or a two-week notice if the employment relationship is less than a year). For employees with less than five years until the statutory age of old-age pension, these notice periods are doubled. They are tripled for employees raising a child (including adopted children) under the age of 14 or caring for a disabled child under the age of 18.

Throughout the notice period, the employer is obliged to allow the employee paid time off to search for a new job.

In the case of a fixed-term contract, the notice period is five business days if the employment surpasses one year. If the employment extends beyond three years, the notice period increases to 10 business days.

Severance pay is contingent on the employee’s length of continuous service:

• Less than 12 months: one monthly average wage
• 12–36 months: two monthly average wages
• 36–60 months: three monthly average wages
• 60–120 months: four monthly verage wages
• 120–240 months: five monthly average wages
• Over 240 months: six monthly average wages

In the event of ordinary dismissal, the terminated employee is entitled to severance pay equivalent to two average monthly salaries. If the employment relationship lasted less than a year, the dismissed employee should receive half of their average monthly salary. Furthermore, the dismissed employee may be eligible for severance pay from the State Social Insurance Fund Board (SODRA), with the amount contingent on their seniority.

For termination of the employment contract at the employer’s discretion, the dismissed employee must be compensated with a severance pay of at least six times the average monthly salary.

Fixed-term contracts are permissible for work completed within a specified time frame or for a specific task. There is no set limit on the maximum number of successive renewals or extensions of fixed-term contracts. However, the cumulative duration of consecutive fixed-term contracts with the same employee performing the same job function cannot exceed two years, with contracts separated by two months or less considered consecutive.

For fixed-term contracts involving the same employee but with a different job function, the maximum cumulative duration cannot exceed five years.

Contracts of a fixed term for roles of a permanent nature should not constitute more than 20% of the total employment contracts maintained by the employer. If employment persists beyond the contract end date or the completion of the specific task, the fixed-term contract is considered indefinite.

Employers are obligated to inform employees under fixed-term contracts about available vacancies and ensure they have equal opportunities for permanent employment.

Employees must receive detailed payslips every month, outlining gross and net salary, the purpose and amount of deductions, and any applicable overtime.

After completing six consecutive months of service with an employer, employees are entitled to 20 days of paid annual leave. While annual leave can be taken in segments, one part must encompass at least 14 calendar days.

For specific employee categories, the duration of paid annual leave extends to 25 calendar days. This category includes employees under 18 years of age, single parents of a child under 14 (or a disabled child under 16), disabled persons, and others as stipulated by law.

The following groups of employees are empowered to select the timing of their annual leave after six months of uninterrupted employment with the same employer:

• Individuals under 18 years of age.
• Pregnant women and employees solely responsible for raising a child under 14 years of age or a disabled child under 18 years of age.

With the employee’s consent, annual leave can be carried over to the subsequent year of employment. This option is available when the annual leave could not be utilized in the same year due to specific circumstances, such as participating in official or public duties, aiding in relief operations, or special-purpose leave entitlements.

Employees are eligible for sick pay if they have been under social insurance coverage for a minimum of three months within the last 12 months or at least six months within the last 24 months. During the initial two calendar days of sickness absence, the employer is obligated to pay between 80% and 100% of the employee’s average salary. From the third to the seventh day of absence, the state compensates the employee with 40% of their salary from the social insurance fund. Starting from the eighth day of sickness absence, the state provides the employee with 80% of their salary.

Maternity Leave:

Employees are entitled to 70 days of maternity leave before childbirth and an additional 56 days after. This later extends to 70 days in case of a complicated birth. The government provides payment for maternity leave if the minimum period of social insurance coverage has been fulfilled, typically requiring 12 months of coverage within the last 24 months. Compensation is set at 100% of the previous salary, subject to a statutory cap.

Paternity Leave:

Paternity leave spans 30 calendar days at any time until the child reaches one year of age. The pay during paternity leave is 100% of the salary, subject to a statutory cap. The government compensates for paternity leave if the minimum social insurance coverage period is met, generally requiring 12 months of coverage within the last 24 months.

Caregiver Leave:

Each parent and caregiver, including grandparents or relatives assisting in raising the child, are equally entitled to child care leave until the child turns three. While only one parent or caregiver can take it at a time, it can be taken consecutively in turns. The employee planning to use this leave must provide the employer with written notice at least 14 days in advance.

Adoption Leave:

Employees who have adopted newborns or have been appointed as their guardians are entitled to leave from the day of adoption or establishment of guardianship until the baby is 70 days old.

Nursing Leave:

Breastfeeding women are entitled to a break of at least 30 minutes every three hours to breastfeed. This is in addition to the regular breaks for rest and meals. The breastfeeding breaks can be taken in conjunction with the breaks for rest and meals or at the end of the working day, effectively shortening the working day.

Parental Leave:

Paid leave is granted for:

• Employees raising a child under 12 years old: 1 additional day off every 3 months
• Employees raising 2 children under 12 years old, where one or both children have a disability: 2 additional paid days off every month

Unpaid leave is granted for:

• Employees raising a child under 14 years old: up to 14 calendar days per year
• Employees raising a disabled child under 18 years old: up to 30 calendar days per year
• During maternity leave and parental leave until the child reaches three years of age, as well as at the father’s request: an aggregate duration of 3 months in total between both parents.

Employees are granted three days of educational leave (per examination) to prepare for entrance examinations at colleges and higher educational institutions.

Elected representatives of a trade union enjoy a leave of absence lasting up to six working days. The specifics regarding wage compensation are to be outlined in a collective agreement. Employees may also be provided with leave to engage in state or public duties, ensuring that the compensation is not less than the average wage of the organization they represent.

Lithuania observes a total of 13 public holidays annually.