The shortage of qualified and unqualified labor remains a serious problem for all employers in Bulgaria. This was stated by the President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Tsvetan Simeonov during a National Round Table on the project “Functionally Sustainable Migration and Integration in Bulgaria“.
“If we want to get now, in these difficult times, when investments are difficult to find, a better track for coming and investing in Bulgaria, this is related to solving the issue of the workforce“, Simeonov emphasized.
Regulations related to the hiring of foreign workers need better coordination. Currently, both a group at the Council of Ministers and an initiative group with the participation of several bilateral chambers of commerce - Bulgarian-Italian, Bulgarian-Indian, Bulgarian-Uzbek and others - are working on the topic.
Simeonov noted that the institutions are already taking steps to facilitate the procedures. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expanded the capacity of consular services abroad to avoid long waits for work visa interviews, and with the assistance of the Ministry of Interior, deadlines have been shortened and administrative requirements simplified. As an example of additional mechanisms, he pointed to the Uzbek side's proposal for a deposit to guarantee that foreign workers will remain working in Bulgaria instead of heading to Western Europe. The Indian embassy, in turn, has stated its readiness to immediately recall any worker who violates the rules.
The topic of migration was also emphasized in the congratulatory address of the Minister of Economy and Industry, Petar Dilov, to the participants. “In the context of demographic challenges, dynamic labor markets and global mobility, issues of migration and integration are gaining increasing importance“, the minister said. He stressed the importance of dialogue between institutions, businesses and non-governmental organizations to find sustainable solutions.
The shortage of personnel is a global problem. “The problems of the labor market not only in Bulgaria, but regionally and globally are extremely acute and are undergoing great dynamics nowadays“, said Nikolay Yarmov, executive director of the “Center for Entrepreneurship and Management Development“ Foundation. According to him, the integration of people from third countries into the Bulgarian labor market is timely and can lead to long-term support for the economy.
Migration as one of the possible answers to the shortage of labor in the country. On the one hand, business sees the import of personnel as a chance to maintain economic activity and attract investments. On the other hand, questions remain about the conditions under which foreign workers will be integrated, as well as the risks of their redirection to other countries. In this context, the efforts of institutions and organizations are aimed at finding a balance between easing procedures and ensuring sustainability in the labor market.