A total of 70 per cent decline has been recorded in the number of work permits submitted in Croatia by foreign workers up to this point.
The significant drop results mainly from Croatia’s March decision to tighten rules for foreign work permits, Schengen.News reports.
According to Croatia Week, temporary employment agencies have been among the most affected ones.
The statistics from Croatia’s Ministry of the Interior revealed that Croatia currently is home to about 136,000 international workers.
The same source reveals that up to this point, nearly 7,000 fewer applications have been issued, compared to the statistics from the same period in 2024.
In addition, a study from the Institute of Migration reveals that 90 per cent of international workers send money home in order to support their families.
Besides, one in five foreign workers plan to stay in Croatia until retirement, while more than half of them are thinking about bringing their families to Croatia to live with them.
Temporary Employment Agencies Profoundly Affected by Croatia’s Stricter Rules
Among the most affected agencies from Croatia’s stricter regulations, which led to a decrease in the number of work permits, are temporary employment agencies, which have experienced a 70 per cent decline in submitted requests.
According to a report from Croatia Week, employers are now saying that the problem is to hire workers not in finding them.
Ivana Šimek from the Croatian Employment Service expressed her concerns regarding the new changes while addressing concerns regarding reports of 18,000 rejected work permit applications.
You said ‘rejections’—perhaps we should say that the Croatian Employment Service issues a negative opinion. Employers must now meet all the criteria set by the Aliens Act.
According to Šimek, in order to hire international workers, employers are required to meet three conditions:
- Have at least one Croatian citizen employed full-time for the past 12 months
- Running their business actively
- Not be included on the blacklist of employers caught using undeclared work
According to her, many employers were not prepared for the new changes and tightened regulations.
The law allows for work permits of up to three years, seasonal permits of up to nine months, and has eased the process of changing employers. But it also demands that certain conditions are met—and it seems employers weren’t fully ready for what the law entails.
Majority of Work Permits Issued in the Construction Industry
The majority of the work permits issued by Croatia are granted for the construction industry, followed by tourism, manufacturing, transportation, and retail.
The majority of them were nationals of Nepal, the Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and India.