Bulgaria Has Attracted 108,000 Workers From Third Countries In the Last Three Years
And they will be even more. Because it is not simply a shortage of workers, the labour market is facing a shortage of skilled worker, said Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova in an interview with Bulgarian National Television.
This is a significant number for a country with a population of 6.7 million. Labour demand is robust in many industries, and labour market tightness (the ratio between vacancies and unemployed workers) is at historically high levels.
Bulgaria faces long-term population decline and ageing. Around 2.9–3.0 million people are employed. It is just over 50% of the adult population. A shrinking working-age population is intensifying labour market pressures.
Bulgarian officials said that unemployment remains very low at around 3.4–3.9% in 2025.
The European Commission in the Country Report said that the unemployment rate (15-74 years old) led its downward trend, reaching 3.5% in Bulgaria in 2025, which indicates a tight labour market, with employers struggling to fill vacancies.
Over 30% of firms report labour shortages as a constraint on production. Shortages are most acute in industry and services.
The highest demand for skilled workers is in industry and infrastructure projects (5,784 vacancies), including electricians, mechanics, welders, maintenance technicians and industrial repair workers. Demand for cleaners and helpers (2,823) indicates shortages in the country's key hospitality, healthcare and facility maintenance sectors. The transport sector is looking for drivers and vehicle operators for supply chains (2,229).
Efremova called Bulgaria's unemployment rate "unhealthily low" and said that labor imports are inevitable, given the growing demand for workers with specific skills.
The top seven countries sending workers to Bulgaria are Uzbekistan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, India,Russian Federation, Ukraine.
Disparities Among the Regions
Despite a good overall macroeconomic performance, significant regional disparities in the country remain. Economic activity and employment opportunities are heavily concentrated in the main urban areas, in particular the capital, which generates about half of the national GDP. Conversely, the north of the country – especially the north-west – remain structurally weak, with both Severozapaden and Severen tsentralen among the poorest five regions in the EU in 2024.
Rural and peripheral areas face weaker labour market outcomes, more limited access to quality public services, and poor transport and digital infrastructures.
The concentration of economic activity and essential services in urban areas poses challenges to competitiveness, economy-wide growth and innovation, and risks deepening socio-economic disparities among the regions.
Vocational Education Does Not Meet Market Demands
More than EUR 924 million has been allocated by the EU to employment and measures to help people from vulnerable groups find work, the modernisation of public employment services, improved labour market access and support for adaptation. In addition, over EUR 195 million is dedicated to supporting adult learning. Overall, the quality, inclusiveness and labour market relevance of education is supported with more than EUR 735 million, benefiting over 760 000 children and students.
But analysts note that education in Bulgaria does not meet the needs of the labor market.
In 2026 there is a shortage of training opportunities in critical professions in healthcare, social services and the energy sector.
The Bulgarian education system continues to perpetuate accumulated imbalances rather than purposefully correcting them. The Institute for Market Economics (IME) notes this in a report, which tracks the index of alignment between vocational education and the economic profile for 2026.
“The biggest problem remains the weak link between vocational education and actual employment,” the IME notes.
They explain that there is still high enrollment in fields with limited demand or low job placement rates, while this is not the case for the professions that are truly in need.
The Index of Alignment between Vocational Education and the Economic Structure measures the ratio between the planned enrollment of students by profession and the actual employment of people with vocational qualifications in various sectors. The index is calculated on a scale from 0 – 100 pts where higher values indicate a better match.
In 2026 the index for Bulgaria as a whole is 54.4 pts, indicating that for about half of the students enrolled in vocational high schools there is no adequate market demand for their qualifications.
Sources: BNT, BMG Group, Economic.BG, Bulgarian News Agency, Europian Commission