Bulgaria imports record number of foreign workers

Bulgaria imported as many foreign workers from non-EU countries during the first six and a half months of 2026 as it did throughout the whole of 2024, highlighting the growing labor shortage facing businesses, Novinite reports.

According to data from the Employment Agency, provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, around 35,000 work permits were issued to foreign workers from outside the European Union between January 1 and July 15, 2026, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The scale of the increase is significant. The number of approved work permits is nearly equal to the population of the city of Kyustendil and represents roughly one-third of all unemployed people in Bulgaria, according to official statistics.

Traditionally, around half of all work permits issued to foreign workers are linked to seasonal employment. Most of these employees work in the tourism sector during the summer season and in agriculture during the harvest period.

The latest figures point to an accelerating dependence of Bulgarian employers on labor from third countries, as companies struggle to find enough workers amid demographic pressures and shortages of both skilled and unskilled labor.

Employers in sectors such as tourism, construction, and logistics are increasingly relying on foreign workers, creating additional challenges for public institutions, including the management of labor migration, ensuring compliance with labor legislation, and supporting the integration of foreign employees.

To ease labor shortages in the tourism industry, employers are recruiting workers from countries such as Nepal, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

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