Bulgarian authorities are developing a large-scale strategy to overcome a severe workforce shortage, planning to attract up to 50,000 foreign workers by 2025. According to official data, currently over 36,000 foreign citizens have already received work permits from a total of 79 countries.
The main labor-supplying countries include Turkey, Uzbekistan, Moldova, and Kyrgyzstan. The government offers diversified immigration channels that cover various professional profiles – from seasonal workers to highly qualified specialists.
The developed visa regimes include several key options: seasonal permits, EU Blue Card for expert positions, and intra-corporate transfers. Employers in tourism, construction, agriculture, and logistics sectors are particularly interested in attracting foreign workforce.
Priority areas for external workforce are engineering, information technology, and healthcare, where the demand for qualified specialists continues to outpace the supply in the local labor market.