Engineers, managers and craftsmen are the most sought after by employers in Bulgaria, according to the latest edition of the annual survey of Manpower Bulgaria.

According to statistics of Bulgaria`s National Employment Agency, however, demand is highest for the following positions: waiter, waitress, bartender / barman, cook, tailor, secretary, legal advisor and salesperson.

According to the findings of Manpower Bulgaria, 42% of the 750 companies polled have had difficulties filling critical positions within the companies.

As many as 55% of the polled see the lack of appropriate candidates/talents as the main reason for this. The second most popular explanation is missing experience (44%), followed by technical skills shortage (32%).

Canidates' wish to receive better payment is the fifth most popular reason for the failure to hire workers (20%).

No company has cited bad image as an obstacle to finding good employees.

In most of the cases, employers hire workers who currently lack the skills required for the position but have growth potential (59%).

Another option is to provide additional trainings for the current employees so that they can fill the unoccupied positions (29%) or to change advertising and recruitment strategies (26%).

Out of 21 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, one in four employers has reported difficulties with filling openings due to he lack of talents. This ratio is 3 percent points higher than in 2010 and the highest since 2008.

The countries experiencing the biggest recruitment difficulties are Romania(53%), Turkey (48%), Switzerland (46%), and Bulgaria (42%).

Poland (4%), Ireland (5%), Norway (9%) and Spain (11%), on the other hand, are the countries that find it least challenging to fill vacant positions.