According to the Quantitative and Qualitative Survey of the Needs of the Labour and Social Environment in Bulgaria, approximately 57% of employers approve the “import” of staff by companies that are unable to find suitable employees within the country. This approval rate rises to 79% among companies experiencing staff shortages, indicating a growing interest in hiring workers from abroad. Medium and large enterprises (with 50+ employees) exhibit the highest approval rates, with 68% expressing greater openness to this option. These companies are more inclined to recruit foreign workers due to their greater financial and administrative capacity to facilitate the process. The highest approval rates are observed in the industrial and construction sectors, where there is a large share of low-skilled staff (65% and 68% respectively).
Bulgarian employers identify several key advantages in hiring staff from abroad, including access to a larger pool of candidates and higher motivation among foreign workers. Other cited benefits include fewer job-related demands from foreign employees, easier recruitment processes, and the quality of work performed.