The industries in Bulgaria that most frequently hire foreign workers are those experiencing significant staff shortages, particularly for medium-skilled positions. Over the past year, 43% of employers hired employees primarily for such positions, with large companies (50+ employees) being the most active in this regard. The highest share of companies hiring foreign staff is in the construction sector, where 54% of the firms have recruited new employees. This is followed by the trade, transport, HoReCa sector (47%) and the industrial sector where the share accounted for 44%.
Hiring foreign workers has become a necessity, with notable progress in tourism, where in some companies, foreign employees make up more than 30% of the staff. The sectors most reliant on foreign labour include tourism, construction, transport, and trade. In contrast, the pharmaceutical sector does not follow this approach due to the language barrier and the need for highly specialized expertise.
Over the next 12 months, an estimated 261,926 new workers and specialists will be needed, representing approximately 9.3% of the current workforce. The highest demand is expected in the industry, which will require 68,249 workers (26.1% of the total needs), followed by the trade, transport, hotels & restaurants sector, where 55,308 workers (21.1%) will be needed. Demand is concentrated primarily in major cities, with Sofia leading at 18% of total workforce demand (47,229 workers), followed by Varna at 11.1% (30,000 workers) and Plovdiv at 8.9% (23,000 workers).
Importing labour from third countries is an increasingly common solution to this issue, supported by legislative improvements that facilitate the process of hiring foreign workers.