In the first half of the year, the Employment Agency admitted 27,109 citizens from 77 non-EU countries to the Bulgarian labor market under all procedures related to the employment of foreigners. This represents 78% of the total number of foreign citizens employed in Bulgaria for the entire year of 2024, when their number was 34,720.
Over the past six years, Bulgaria has attracted over 108,000 foreign workers from third countries (non-EU), according to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy for the period 2019-2024. They represent 65 different countries, and their number is growing with each passing year – a trend that confirms the deepening problem of the shortage of personnel.
At the same time, it is curious that the country is less and less often associated as a destination for cheap labor.
The data provided is in response to a request from GERB-SDF MP and former Social Minister Denitsa Sacheva to the relevant Minister Borislav Gutsanov.
According to the information, workers from third countries are concentrated in several main sectors of the Bulgarian economy: hotels and restaurants, construction, manufacturing, ICT technologies and transport.
Nationalities and sectors
The top seven countries from which the most workers come are:
• Republic of Uzbekistan (10,514 people): Seasonal and construction workers, as well as workers in the manufacturing industry;
• Republic of Turkey (10,441 people): Seconded specialists, engineering-technical and mid-technical personnel, mainly in construction, as well as seasonal workers;
• Kyrgyz Republic (7,138 people): Seasonal workers and workers in the manufacturing industry;
• Nepal (4,522 people): Low-skilled workers in the manufacturing industry and seasonal workers in agriculture and tourism;
• India (3,155 people): Workers in the manufacturing industry, transport and IT sector;
• Russian Federation (3,118 people): Middle-level technical and engineering-technical personnel, IT specialists and others;
• Republic of Ukraine (1,923 people): Mostly seasonal workers, engineering-technical and construction workers.
The data shows a steady increase in the number of foreign workers, especially under the Single Residence and Work Permits – 1,129 such permits were issued in 2019, while in 2024 their number jumped to 13,131.
There was also a clear jump in the Blue Cards – from 370 in 2019 to 1,101 six years later. However, it is far from the optimistic expectations of a boom in the use of this type of permit, which is supposedly used to attract highly qualified employees from outside the EU.
Illustrative Photo by Imad Clicks: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-picking-lavender-at-the-lavender-park-sirhama-jammu-and-kashmir-india-17474306/
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