Plovdiv is the region with the highest demand for workers in 2026 – around 26,000 people. Pazardzhik and Burgas follow, with 17,000 declared needs each. At the same time, Bulgaria’s labor market is showing signs of cooling, with demand shrinking most sharply in construction and among specialists with vocational qualifications.
This is indicated by a survey conducted by the Employment Agency and analyzed by Adrian Nikolov, an economist at the Institute for Market Economics. According to the data, unmet demand for workers has fallen to 212,000 people, a decline of more than 8% in one year. The share of employers planning to hire is down by 1.5 percentage points, while the share expecting to lay off workers has risen by 0.5 percentage points.
“For now, the cooling is most evident in employers’ intentions,” Adrian Nikolov summarizes.Construction sees the sharpest drop in demand
The biggest decline is among construction workers – more than 10,000 people in one year. The analysis links this to a slowdown in new construction. A more moderate cooling is observed in industry, trade, transport and tourism.
The contraction is concentrated mainly among small and medium-sized enterprises. In contrast, companies with more than 250 employees are increasing their hiring intentions.
Among the skilled workers for whom employers report the greatest need are machine operators – 9,800 people. They are followed by construction workers with 6,000, tailors with 4,500, cooks with 4,300 and waiters with 4,000 positions.
Healthcare and education continue to seek workers
Among professions requiring a license or higher education, the greatest need is for drivers – 5,900 people, as well as another 1,300 employees for international transport. There is demand for 4,700 nurses, 4,200 teachers, another 1,300 education specialists, 1,000 lecturers and 2,700 doctors.
According to the analysis, the public sector – particularly healthcare and education – continues to play the leading role in demand for university graduates.
Differences between regions are deepening
Regional trends are mixed. In Sofia-city, the decline in labor demand exceeds 54%, while Sofia Province, Kardzhali and Razgrad have lost more than 70% of their needs compared with the previous year. At the same time, the shortage of workers in Yambol has increased more than threefold, while in Pernik it has doubled.
The most severe shortages are reported in areas where the local economy relies on manufacturing with low to medium added value and on tourism. Employers are increasingly citing a lack of candidates, motivation and people willing to take specific jobs as the main obstacles to hiring.
The share of companies planning to offset the shortage by hiring workers from abroad has risen from 10% to more than 16%. If weaker demand persists, the analysis says it could slow the growth of employment and wages, particularly in the capital.
Sources: focus-news.net, ime.bg