The number of IT specialists in Lithuania has grown to 70,600 over the past year, but employers still face a shortage of more than 7,600 qualified workers. Technology companies are already changing their hiring practices and increasingly relying on candidates’ ability to solve problems, analyze data, and apply technology in practice, says Regina Fraimanaitė, the employer brand team lead at Gurtam.
According to Invest Lithuania, global business services (GBS) and technology centers continue to expand in Lithuania, creating thousands of jobs and becoming an important retraining direction for specialists in various fields.
Changes in the IT market are happening faster than the traditional education system can prepare specialists for new career paths. More than 40% of Lithuanian employees say that their skills do not match their current job responsibilities. According to an analysis conducted by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation (2024), this mismatch between skills and functions is becoming one of the structural problems of the country’s labor market.
Today, product-based businesses are seeking employees who can manage complex systems, analyze large datasets, and make informed, data-driven decisions. Strong communication and teamwork skills are also expected.
With employer demand growing and formal education struggling to keep up, alternative learning models are rapidly gaining traction in Europe and Lithuania. These include intensive programming courses, known as coding bootcamps, mentor-led distance learning programs, and company-initiated training platforms, which provide adults with the opportunity to quickly retrain and acquire the skills needed in the labor market.
Initiatives offering intensive, practical project-based learning programs stand out. These models are of interest to both employers and people changing career paths – for example, after completing data analytics training, former teachers find employment as junior analysts in IT companies within a few months.
Employer Perspective: What Companies Actually Want
The Lithuania Innovative Digital Businesses study conducted by Implement Consulting Group in 2025 shows that by further expanding the innovative digital business ecosystem, Lithuania could create up to 23,000 additional highly skilled jobs and generate approximately €1.4 billion in annual economic benefits. Analysts emphasize that it is not only the size of the investment that has the most significant impact, but also the ability to quickly train and integrate new specialists into the labor market, which is why the ICT sector is becoming an attractive direction for people transitioning from other professions.
For example, someone who has worked in customer service for a long time can complete analytics courses, create a data visualization prototype, design a data integration (ETL) process, and thus transition to operations or data analysis positions. Such changes require consistent learning and a desire to acquire new skills.
Another example is a sales specialist who chooses data science and applies their experience working with clients to forecasting models and business analytics. Therefore, project-based training becomes one of the ways to objectively assess a candidate’s readiness. This structure allows us to see not only the level of theoretical knowledge, but also the ability to apply it in practical situations. It is these skills that are considered to be among the most important expectations of employers in the technology sector today.
Therefore, employers today value not formal diplomas, but a candidate’s ability to solve problems, analyze data, and make decisions in real-life situations. This change has already reached technology companies that develop products, such as Gurtam. The company values decision-making skills, not just diplomas. A candidate’s readiness is best demonstrated by how they respond to practical situations, and technical skills are most likely to be developed in the workplace itself.
We see a very clear change in the selection process: today, analytical skills, the ability to work with data, understand the logic of IT systems, make decisions, and communicate clearly are becoming the most important. We no longer require in-depth technical knowledge from people who come to us for operations or customer success roles—it is much more important that candidates understand processes, know how to structure problems, and are quick learners.
AI has also become an essential skill: candidates who know how to use AI tools for analysis, documentation, or testing have a clear advantage today. We see AI as a tool that complements human capabilities and allows us to work more efficiently. This approach is already reflected in hiring practices. Candidates who can demonstrate how they use AI for learning, data analysis, or problem-solving gain an advantage in our selection process.
Their pace and flexible structure allow students to acquire the skills needed in the labor market more quickly. This helps to transition to a model that focuses more on real competencies rather than just formal education.
Employers are looking for people who can think critically, solve problems, and quickly adapt to new technologies. The hiring process is becoming a joint effort between employers, educational institutions, and employees themselves, based on real skills.
