Labor migration is increasingly proving to be an important tool for supporting business and maintaining economic growth in the face of demographic challenges and labor shortages in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian labor market has become attractive to more and more workers from countries outside the EU. According to data from the Bulgarian National Employment Agency, in 2025, work permits and registrations were issued to 24,642 third-country nationals. Most of them are employed in accommodation and food service activities, agriculture and forestry, construction, transport, and industry.
In the first three months of 2024, over 8,700 third-country nationals gained access to the Bulgarian labor market, with more than half of them being employed as seasonal workers. This demonstrates the sustainable trend of the increasing importance of labor migration in providing the necessary labor force for the Bulgarian economy.
Among the foreigners working in the country are also citizens of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, who find employment in various economic sectors. Together with workers from countries such as Turkey, Uzbekistan, India, Nepal, and Kyrgyzstan, they contribute to overcoming the existing labour shortage in a number of industries.
