20,000-Plus Third-Country Nationals Expected to Work in Bulgaria’s Tourism Sector during Peak Summer Season
More than 20,000 individuals from third countries are expected to be employed in Bulgaria’s tourism sector during the peak summer season, Veselin Danev, President of the Bulgarian Hotel Association and manager of the hotels of Libena Resorts - Melia Hotels International’s main partner in Bulgaria, said in an interview with the Bulgarian News Agency.
What are the main difficulties in recruitment this summer season, and what are your suggestions for overcoming them?
The biggest challenge remains the lack of predictability in the issuance of work visas for our foreign employees. An inter-institutional working group, led by Deputy Prime Minister [Grozdan] Karadjov, has been set up, and the measures adopted are expected to yield results in the medium term. Attention should also be paid to operational issues within consular services such as insufficient staffing and schedule disruptions caused by unscrupulous intermediaries, etc.
What is the estimated staff shortage this season, and which positions are most in demand?
It is difficult to provide an exact figure. Public claims of around 200,000 vacant positions seem greatly exaggerated. Last year, some 14,000 third-country nationals were employed; this year, that number will exceed 20,000. The greatest need is for motivated people at the start of their careers. But we also rely on many long-term foreign employees.
Ekaterina Toteva, Valeria Dimitrova, Yoana Vodenicharova