The minister noted that employers can hire more foreign workers than set out in the quotas after offering a vacancy to a customer of the Employment Service.
„Our proposal is to limit the flow of labour force coming from third countries. Lithuania has not had strict quotas yet. When the quota is exceeded, employers are still able to bring in more workers,“ Navickienė told Žinių radijas on Thursday.
„The introduction of a strict quota would regulate labour supply so that the quota can no longer be exceeded,“ she stated.
The minister also observed that any preference for workers from certain countries would need to be debated by the Seimas, taking into account the capacity of the State Security Department to screen newcomers.
In early April, the Interior Ministry tabled amendments in the Parliament to tighten requirements for companies that employ foreign workers.
The proposals are aimed at regulating the admission of migrants and address labour shortages while taking into account national security concerns, the ministry said.