Ukraine’s future: Bulgaria’s holiday season is under threat due to lack of people
18 February 15:13
Bulgaria’s Black Sea resorts are facing a serious staff shortage, estimated at 200,000 workers before the start of the summer season, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citing Profit.ro. The resort of Sunny Beach alone requires 100,000 workers.
Veselin Nalbantov, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Hoteliers and Restaurateurs, notes that to solve the labor shortage, employers are forced to turn to foreign workers. Hotel and restaurant owners are unable to hire enough staff, which has led to a rise in wages by at least 10% compared to last year. However, the shortage of workers remains a chronic problem.
According to Nalbantov, despite the fact that Bulgaria has a well-developed tourism infrastructure, the state has failed to effectively regulate labor imports and establish cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and recruitment agencies.
In the resort area of Sunny Beach, where about 700,000 beds have already been booked, 100,000 workers need to be hired out of a total need of 200,000 for the entire coast.
The situation is complicated by the country’s demographic problems. According to Nalbantov, despite salary increases aimed at attracting workers, the staff shortage is deepening due to Bulgaria’s declining population. About three million Bulgarians have emigrated abroad in search of better opportunities, including a significant number of IT specialists.
This situation creates serious challenges for the Bulgarian tourism industry on the eve of the important summer season and requires a comprehensive approach to solving the problem of staffing.
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Demographic crisis in Ukraine
The demographic crisis is something that unites Bulgaria and Ukraine. In Ukraine, this problem is caused primarily by the war, which has led to the deaths of a huge number of able-bodied people, mostly men, and the outflow of 5-7 million citizens abroad.
Experts say that about 29 million people remain in the territories controlled by Ukraine. This number of people is not enough to ensure the country’s economic growth.
According to Vasyl Voskoboinyk, President of the Ukrainian Association of International Employment Companies, who relies on forecasts by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, we will need an additional 4.5 million workers to the level of the existing workforce in 2021. The International Organization for Labor and Migration estimates this need at 8.2 million workers in addition to the number that was in 2021. If this is achieved, Ukraine will be able to reach an economic growth rate of 10% per year. To reach a GDP of $262 billion by 2032. This is necessary to restore the destroyed economy.
Even according to the most optimistic forecasts, Ukraine will not be able to get that many workers from those who will someday return from abroad. Therefore, experts say that the country needs millions of labor migrants.
Movement in this direction has already begun: a company in Zakarpattia plans to employ 160 workers from Bangladesh.
