More than one in five permits issued by the Croatian government for employment purposes were granted to Nepali citizens. Nepal could become the top market source for foreign workers to Croatiapotentially overtaking Bosnians as the main workers in the country.
The data published by the Interior Ministry reveal that the number of workers from neighbouring countries in Croatia is decreasing. For example, there were 620 fewer work permits granted to Bosnians in the first quarter of 2025, Schengen.News reports
The same goes for Serb workers, who were issued about 100 fewer work permits during this period, while 200 more work permits were issued to citizens of North Macedonia.
In total, during the first quarter of 2025, Bosnians were issued 9,389 work permits while Serbs were granted about 5,945 permits.
Croatia Experiences Surge in Foreign Workers From Asia
Filipinos are emerging as a strong source of employment in Croatia, obtaining about 6,000 permits. Compared to 2024, this figure is up by 1,800. Indians are increasingly being hired to work in Croatia with 5,555 permits issued to them during this period – 500 more than in the previous year.
However, Egyptians had the highest increase, with the number of permits granted to them increasing by more than 50 per cent. In total, about 2,000 permits were issued to Egyptian workers in Croatia.
On the other hand, the number of Bangladeshi workers in Croatia has dropped, with fewer permits being granted to this nationality.
Employment in Croatia Was Up by 11,000 Workers Last Month
Employment in Croatia has increased by more than 11,000 in March, with foreign workers making a great contribution to the economy.
According to data from the Croatian Pension Insurance Insitute, the number of insured persons registered increased by 11,000 in March. In February, this number was by 4,000 up, which shows an upward trend, especially recorded in these two last months.
It is estimated that there is a total of 1.72 million insured persons by the Institute, with the largest contributions being recorded in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
Construction, tourism and catering are some of the industries with the highest number of foreign workers in Croatia at the moment, with the construction industry experiencing the largest absolute increase in employment in the last year.
About 17,343 permits were issued to workers in the construction sector, followed by 15,870 in the tourism and hospitality and 2,779 permits in the trade sector.