Vilnius:Lithuanian business representatives have raised concerns that restrictions on hiring foreign workers could adversely affect the country's economic growth.

According to Anadolu Agency, Zivile Simonaityte-Vasiliauskiene, an economist at the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists, expressed these concerns during a news conference attended by various business groups and representatives. She emphasized that most people encounter migrants in some capacity and therefore view the issue through personal experiences and perceptions.

The country hosts approximately 227,000 foreign nationals, with about 108,000 holding temporary residence permits for living and working in Lithuania. Simonaityte-Vasiliauskiene highlighted that the discussion often centers around a migrant quota, currently set at nearly 25,000, which is part of a quota system for non-EU workers. This quota, she noted, accounts for about 10% of foreign nationals with residence permits but is not the primary means of legal migration to Lithuania.

Simonaityte-Vasiliauskiene pointed out that foreign nationals contributed significantly to Lithuania's GDP growth, generating 45% of it between 2019 and 2024, based on calculations from the Bank of Lithuania. She warned that maintaining the current quota could result in lost GDP growth and tax revenue, with potential GDP losses estimated at around £100 million ($112 million) this year alone, possibly increasing to £150 million ($168 million) in a worst-case scenario.

Furthermore, she estimated that quota restrictions could lead to a loss of between £20 million ($22 million) and £25 million ($28 million) in tax revenue for this year. The impact could be even more significant by 2027, with projections suggesting potential losses of around £500 million ($559 million) in GDP and £90 million ($101 million) in tax revenue if the restrictions continue.