The Bulgarian economy is facing an unprecedented challenge – a drastic shortage of qualified workforce, which threatens the normal functioning of numerous economic sectors. According to expert analyses, the labor market urgently needs nearly 250,000 workers.

Atanas Dimitrov, vice-chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Hotels and Restaurants, definitively stated that the personnel deficit exceeds 50% in the tourism sector. This alarming signal underscores the scale of the problem, which forces businesses to resort to temporary solutions by importing labor from third countries.

Mikola Nikolov from the Bulgarian Confederation of Employment confirmed the scale of the crisis, pointing out that the lack of workers affects practically all economic directions. Employers are forced to seek employees from countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to compensate for the critical shortage.

An interesting phenomenon is that some imported workers perceive Bulgaria as a transit destination to Western Europe, motivated by the hope of higher wages. Paradoxically, some of them subsequently return, attracted by social benefits – employers cover accommodation and food expenses, making them attractive employers.

Administrative barriers further complicate the situation – companies wait between 5 and 7 months to obtain visas for foreign employees. According to official statistics, 36,000 foreigners worked in Bulgaria last year, and this number is expected to grow to over 50,000 this year.

Seasonal business further aggravates the problem by attracting workers from other sectors, which creates additional deficit. Nikolov emphasized that with a workforce of under 3 million people, critical unfilled positions constitute about 15% of the market.

The discussion about introducing a four-day work week was deemed unrealistic by experts. Atanas Dimitrov defined it as "utopian", comparing it to communist ideas. With the current personnel shortage, such a reduction in working hours would paralyze the tourism sector.

Mikola Nikolov added that a four-day work week is inapplicable in sectors with continuous work processes such as manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare. On the contrary, in many cases a six-day work week is necessary, which definitively removes the topic from the current agenda of the Bulgarian labor market.