Bulgaria has increasingly turned to foreign workers as businesses struggle to find enough employees, with more than 108,000 citizens from countries outside the European Union gaining access to the labor market over the past three years, Labor and Social Policy Minister Natalia Efremova said.
The development comes amid historically low unemployment, which currently stands between 2.8% and 3.2%. Efremova described the situation as “unhealthily low” and said the main challenge is not simply a lack of workers, but a shortage of people with the qualifications businesses need.
According to the minister, almost half of those registered with employment offices have very low qualifications, while companies are increasingly searching for employees with specific skills. “With this low unemployment and the increasing demand for personnel with certain skills, there can be no import of workers,” Efremova said, explaining that foreign labor has become necessary because the domestic workforce cannot fully meet market needs.
Over the past three years, workers from 95 countries have received access to Bulgaria’s labor market. Since the beginning of 2026 alone, more than 28,000 non-EU citizens have received permission to work in the country. The largest number of permits have been issued to citizens of Uzbekistan, while other workers come from countries including Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Moldova.
