HOW TO FIND A JOB IN BULGARIA

Bulgaria has been a member of the European Union since 2007. The rejection of Soviet methods of economic management, the introduction of structural reforms and the attraction of foreign investment contribute to the country's long-term development. But in comparison with more prosperous European countries Bulgaria lags far behind.

First of all it concerns level of wages and general quality of life of Bulgarians. For the sake of justice, it is necessary to note that living costs and daily expenses in Bulgaria are twice less than on average in the EU. One more essential problem for successful development of the country is a corruption in the government and organized crime. These issues have not been completely solved.

Unemployment in Bulgaria is 4-6%. Not the worst figure in Europe. Nevertheless the analysis of the Bulgarian labor market shows that working in Bulgaria for foreigners in 2024 is not the best way to earn money. For rather high wages can count only really cool specialists, most often in the field of IT.

Work in Bulgaria

In any case there can be many reasons for employment in Bulgaria. After all, the country has a comfortable climate, well-developed tourism and some other industries, such as construction, can attract foreign specialists. There is also demand for unskilled workers from abroad. In this article we will learn about available vacancies and salaries in Bulgaria in 2024, consider the main options for finding a job and conditions for employment of foreigners.

How to go to work in Bulgaria

Foreigners who are not citizens of one of the EU countries or Switzerland in most cases are obliged to obtain a work permit in Bulgaria. However, there are some exceptions.

Who does not need a work permit in Bulgaria?

  • People who already have a long-term residence permit or are permanently residing in Bulgaria;

  • Employees or representatives of foreign companies operating on the Bulgarian territory;

  • Members of Boards of Directors of Bulgarian companies, who are not employed on a contract basis;

  • Refugees and persons who have come to Bulgaria for humanitarian or political reasons;

  • Family members of European and Bulgarian citizens (EU countries, Switzerland, EEA members) or long-term residents of Bulgaria.

How to go to work in Bulgaria

In other cases a foreign specialist has to find a vacancy in Bulgaria beforehand and to get a work permit. For this purpose a potential employer addresses the local office of National Employment Agency of Bulgaria with a corresponding application and a list of approved documents. The foreign worker is required to:

  1. A copy of a foreign passport;

  2. Three colored photos;

  3. Diplomas confirming the level of education and other documents certifying the skills and professional experience. Studying at a university in Bulgaria would be a big plus.

The rest of the information is prepared by the employer, in particular, a convincing reason why the vacancy is given to an employee from abroad is required. As a rule it means absence of the necessary specialists in the local labor market. The decision on granting a work permit in Bulgaria is made within one month of submitting the application. After that the applicant arranges a work visa at the Bulgarian Consulate in his country.

Usually a work permit is issued for a maximum period of 1 year with the right to extension and provides employment in a specific company and area of activity. No later than 3 months after your arrival you can get a residence permit in Bulgaria.

It's not difficult to guess that Bulgarian companies must be very interested in foreign worker's services; and for this purpose you have to have specific skills and experience that local specialists don't have. Or the vacancy implies hard physical labor or rough work, which Bulgarians and Europeans do not agree to.

Work in Bulgaria without intermediaries. Search for a job.

Work in Bulgaria without intermediaries

The most popular way to find a job in Bulgaria is to use personal connections and acquaintances. It means that relatives or friends already in the country are more likely to help you get a job than finding a job on your own. According to the statistics more than half of the jobs at the Bulgarian labor market are filled in this way and are not even advertised.

If you have problems with personal contacts then it's time to go to Bulgaria for tourism purposes, relax on the Black Sea coast and at the same time try to make the right acquaintances. Knowledge of English and Bulgarian at least at a minimum level is needed.

The second option, more laborious and, most likely, time-consuming is the independent search for a job, in other words, the use of a wide range of information sources on the Internet. We would like to highlight the most popular ways for foreigners to look for a job in Bulgaria in 2024.

Official website of the National Employment Agency of Bulgaria – az.government.bg. It contains a lot of useful information about the general situation on the Bulgarian labor market. To tell the truth, it is designed more for local residents.

Popular sites for job search in Bulgaria

jobs.bg

jobtiger.bg

zaplata.bg

rabota.bg

karieri.bg

International resources for the world of work

careerjet.com

learn4good.com

Bulgarian Newspaper Websites

Trud

Dnevnik

24 Chasa

To find local recruiting agencies, use this resource – yellowpages.bg. You can also find a Bulgarian company here and offer your services directly to the employer.

An effective tool for finding a job in the modern world, including Bulgaria, is a professional social network – Linkedin.

To increase the chances of successful employment in Bulgaria, it is advisable to use the above mentioned resources in combination.

Jobs and wages in Bulgaria

Unfortunately, wages in Bulgaria are among the lowest in the EU. In 2024, the national average net wage is about 840 euros per month. The official minimum since January 1 is 933 lev (about 475 euros). For a successful search of a vacancy in Bulgaria, it is better to focus on economically active cities. First of all, these are the capital of Sofia, as well as Plovdiv and Varna.

Jobs and wages in Bulgaria

Average Salaries in Bulgaria by profession in 2024 (euro/month):

  • IT specialists – 1200-1300

  • Financiers and insurers – 920

  • Power engineers – 880

  • Energy industry – 880 Government employees – 615

  • Health care and social workers – 560

  • Trade and transport – 500-520

  • Construction and production workers – 420-500

  • Tourism and entertainment – 450

  • Agricultural workers – 425

  • Unskilled workers (waiters, loaders, cleaners) – 280-320

Concerning the available vacancies in Bulgaria in 2024, first of all, we should mention the sphere of information technologies, where there is a relative lack of specialists and where the salaries are rather high. The best variant to try to get a job in one of the international companies. A good command of English is a must.

In spite of some decline in Bulgarian industry highly qualified foreign workers with specific skills and experience can find jobs in the construction and production spheres.

Seasonal work in Bulgaria, e.g. in tourism industry, is rather competitive and low-paid. Vacancies are mostly offered to local students and then foreigners are recruited. The same applies to temporary jobs in agriculture. There is no money to be made here. But as an option, you can consider these types of work.

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Comments  

# hi.adurrazzaque 2023-06-20 06:56
i need a job in Bulgaria..!
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# Asif 2023-08-03 19:51
i want job in bulgaria i am from india please any employer issue me work permit i will be very grateful to you sir/mam please help
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# Tushar Ali 2024-04-20 10:52
i want job in bulgaria. please help me.
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