Croatia Faces Urgent Demand for Foreign Workers, Yet Many Are Deemed Unsuitable, Say Industry Leaders

Main Points Summary:

1. Croatian authorities emphasize an urgent requirement for foreign labor due to ongoing shortages.
2. While the need for foreign workers is acknowledged, concerns arise regarding their suitability for available positions.
3. Estimates suggest Croatia will have approximately 500,000 foreign workers by 2030.

Expanded Details:

Croatian officials have underscored the pressing demand for foreign workers to address the nation's labor deficit. This was highlighted during a Bloomberg Adrija conference, where industry leaders noted a dwindling domestic workforce, amplifying the necessity for foreign labor.

However, there's a prevalent observation among industry figures that foreign workers often lack suitability for the roles at hand, casting doubts on the industry's future trajectory.

The scarcity of native employees is increasingly noticeable, with current statistics indicating that one out of every fifteen workers in Croatia hails from abroad, a figure expected to rise in the coming years.

Nataša Mikuš Žigman, Director of the Business Sustainability and Green Transformation Sector at Podravka, a prominent EU food company, emphasized the formidable challenge of securing a workforce, not just for Podravka but for numerous Croatian enterprises.

She revealed that Podravka currently employs about 160 foreign workers and anticipates further reliance on this demographic due to insufficient local applicants.

Marko Ćosić, Board President of Đuro Đaković, echoed the sentiment of needing foreign labor, though he stressed the difficulty in finding suitable candidates, whether local or international.

At the conference, Ćosić emphasized the inadequacy of foreign labor as a blanket solution, cautioning against assuming their equal competency to local workers.

This sentiment was echoed by others, citing concerns over productivity levels among foreign workers.

Projections indicate a substantial influx of foreign labor, with Croatia estimated to host around half a million foreign workers by 2030. However, uncertainties persist regarding whether this influx will effectively alleviate the country's labor shortages.

Croatia, serving as an entry point to EU member states for many foreigners, aims to capitalize on this position by implementing more enticing regulations and benefits to encourage retention and deter emigration to other EU nations.