Bulgaria is seeing an unprecedented rise in the number of work permits issued to non-EU nationals, driven by a growing shortage of domestic labour. According to the National Employment Agency, over 35,000 permits have been granted since the start of 2025, marking a record high for the country. Tomcho Tomov, director of the National Competence Assessment Centre at the Bulgarian Industrial Association, highlighted that this trend reflects employers’ increasing reliance on foreign workers to fill critical positions.

The majority of the new arrivals come from countries including Uzbekistan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, India, and Indonesia. These groups have become the backbone of Bulgaria’s foreign workforce, helping to mitigate gaps left by a domestic labour shortage. At the same time, the country continues to see a significant number of Bulgarians returning from abroad. Tomov noted that around 60,000 Bulgarians have returned this year alone, with approximately 400,000 having come back over the past two to three years from a total diaspora of 2.5 million.

Despite these developments, Bulgaria still faces substantial challenges in its labour market. Employers estimate that roughly 800,000 people remain outside the workforce, neither studying, working, nor otherwise economically active. Among younger Bulgarians under the age of 29, between 200,000 and 250,000 fall into this category. Tomov emphasized that while the influx of foreign workers and returning emigrants helps, the country continues to grapple with significant gaps in available labour.