Three out of four Lithuanian employers prefer employees with work experience in Lithuania rather than abroad, a survey by the Migration Information Centre (MIC) has found.
“It is thought that people returning from abroad might be less loyal to the company and more willing to change jobs,” said Indre Jankauskaite-Cince, project manager at the MIC.
According to the survey, IT companies are the most welcoming to workers with international experience, while firms in the manufacturing and retail sectors shy away from the returnees.
Different preferences among sectors are normal since they reflect varying skill requirements, said Andrius Romanovskis, President of the Lithuanian Business Confederation.
“If a job is related to customer service or communication with suppliers, workers need to understand some things specific to Lithuania and have experience in the country,” Romanovskis said.
The survey also found that more than half of the employers were afraid that Lithuanian workers with experience of working in other countries could be prone to asking for better conditions or higher pay.
“When they return to Lithuania, people forget that there is a gap between the Lithuanian and British or Norwegian job markets,” said recruitment consultant Saulius Vanagas. “These people are trapped because their expectations exceed the market reality.” (LRT/Business World Magazine)
