Bulgaria is struggling with labour shortages in all industries, with the tourism sector being the most affected one.
In order to save the tourism industry, Bulgaria needs a total of 50,000 international workers, according to the entrepreneur Marin Demirovski, Schengen.News reports.
Demirovski emphasised that the problem with labour shortages is present in all the European Union countries, not only in Bulgaria.
In Bulgaria, there is a shortage of personnel in absolutely all sectors. Companies are taking action to hire foreign personnel. This problem is not only in Bulgaria, there is a need for personnel everywhere in the EU.
He added that foreign workers who go to Bulgaria for work purposes have different skill levels, from low-skilled to highly specialized IT experts and engineers.
The majority of them, according to Demirovski, come from Türkiye, Central Asia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Balkan countries.
He said that the main problem is that the state administration is not ready for this new trend. Demirovski said that it takes six to nine months to prepare the required document which brings significant problems to the businesses, in particular those that rely on seasonal workers.
The problem is that the state administration also has a problem with personnel. There is a lack of organization in the procedure itself. Many institutions are involved. There is a lack of coordination, there are a lack of legal changes.
Majority of Foreign Workers Employed in Tourism
Earlier this month, the Chief Economist at the Confederation of Labour “Podkrepa”, Atanas Katsarchev, said that the majority of foreign workers in Bulgaria are employed in tourism, construction, and transport industries.
During an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Katsarchev said that healthcare may in the future become another sector to hire a large number of foreign workers.
He emphasized that at present, Bulgarian law permits larger companies to employ up to per cent of foreign workers, while small and medium-sized enterprises can employ up to 35 per cent.
Over 36,000 Foreign Workers in Bulgaria in 2024
The Chief Expert in “Labor Market, Migration, and Mobility” at the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions, Atanaska Todorova, earlier this year revealed that in 2024, about 36,000 international workers from 79 countries have been granted work permission in Bulgaria.
The most significant number of permits was issued to Turkish nationals (8,000), followed by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, and Moldova.
