Housekeepers (76%), cooks (68%), receptionists (57%), waiters (50%), bar tenders (26%) and technical staff (23%) are in demand most for the tourist season 2025 on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Only 10% of the hotels are looking for staff at a managerial level, indicate data from a survey conducted by the Bulgarian Association of Hotel Executives.

• Workers from third countries will fill the shortage of staff during the summer season
• More than 7,000 people from non-EU countries are looking for work in Bulgaria
• Over 108,000 workers from 64 non-EU countries have come to Bulgaria in 6 years

All hotel operators on Bulgaria’s coastline encounter some degree of difficulty in finding staff for the season. More than 90% of them say that in 2025 this problem will only deepen. Bulgarian staff prevail in less than half of the hotels, in less than one-third there is an equal number of Bulgarians and foreigners. There are instances, though rarely, of hotels whose staff are predominantly foreign. Only 17% of the respondents say that the solution to the staff crisis is to import staff from abroad. The fact the work is seasonal is pointed to as the main reason for the staff shortages (80%), closely followed by a lack of motivation to work in the industry (75%).