Foreign workers from outside EU up 28% over a year

The number of foreign workers arriving in Bulgaria from countries outside the European Union rose by 28% over the past year, according to data cited by experts at a roundtable discussion in Sofia.

Participants warned that limited modernisation and variable skill levels are among the risks associated with importing workers from non-EU countries. They said reliance on low-skilled labour could slow technological development in the business sector.

Another issue raised during the discussion was that migrant workers tend to send their earnings back home, resulting in money being taken out of the local economy.

According to the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), approximately 46,000 foreign workers gained access to Bulgaria’s labour market in 2025, marking a 28% year-on-year increase. The workers came from 86 countries, with the largest numbers arriving from Uzbekistan, India, and Turkey, according to reports by the BTA and BGNES news agencies.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov