Number of foreign workers almost doubles

The number of foreign workers in Lithuania has almost doubled over the past year and is approaching 2 percent of the total workforce in the country.

In terms of professions, drivers of heavy vehicles stand out, and the revenue of foreign workers is only slightly below the average revenue of local workers.

There were 24,600 workers from third countries who worked under a permanent or temporary contract and social insurance contributions were paid for them in Lithuania in the second quarter of this year, the latest figures from the country's social insurance fund SoDra show. Their number jumped from 14,100 people last year.

The Finance Minister estimates that the number of foreign workers would grow 0.1 percent next year, SoDra's director Julia Varanauskaite says.

The majority of foreign workers work as truck drivers, cooks, taxi drivers, constructions workers, welders etc.