November 17, 2023 – According to data from the Croatian Employment Service (CES), in the ten months of this year, the most sought-after professions in Croatia were in the processing industry, in education, and in health care and social welfare activities. The needs in those four sectors make up 41 percent of the total need for workers.
In a twenty-year perspective, writes Index/N1, Croatia will lack around 400,000 workers, according to the governor of the Croatian National Bank, Boris Vujčić.
Considering the demographic and migration trends, it is certain that most of them should be imported labor force, foreign workers, probably from the countries of Asia, Africa, or poorer countries of the region.
Such is the assessment, and the CES elaborated on the current situation with workers in Croatia, the most sought-after occupations and sectors with the greatest demand.
Shop Workers, Cleaners and Waiters
The trend of growing demand for workers continued this year as well, say the CES.
The most sought-after occupations in the past ten months of this year were salesperson, cleaner and waiter. Those three professions make up 17 percent of the total number of workers in demand.
CES data also show that this year the most workers were sought in the processing industry, in education, and in health care and social welfare activities. The needs for workers in those four sectors make up 41 percent of the total needs.
As expected, the highest demand for workers was recorded where there are the most inhabitants – in the area of the City of Zagreb and Split-Dalmatia County.
Lack of construction professionals
“On the Adriatic coast, during the summer season, there is a shortage of occupations related to tourism, such as cooks, waiters, bartenders, valets, cleaners, sellers, pastry chefs, butchers, bakers, etc. And throughout the year, there is a shortage of nurses, health laboratory technicians and pharmaceutical technicians, which also applies to the continental parts of the country”, say the CES.
In many continental counties, there is a significant lack of construction professionals such as bricklayers, carpenters, painters, upholsterers, ceramicists, rebar workers, welders, roofers, tinsmiths, facade workers, masons, electricians, plumbers, heating and air conditioning installers, dry construction fitters, construction machinery operators, motor vehicle drivers…
Where the manufacturing industry is developed, there is often a shortage of locksmiths, machinists, turners and CNC operators. The lack of car mechanics, car tinsmiths, car electricians, car paint workers, and car mechatronics workers has expanded geographically.
600 agencies employ foreign workers
These days, the Moj posao portal announced that an analysis of the labor market in Croatia shows that more than 250,000 job advertisements were published in the first three quarters of this year, which is 4.2 percent more than in the same period last year. Since some ads were published on multiple platforms, a more detailed analysis shows that 198,000 unique job ads were published in the first nine months of this year.
At the same time, they point out, it should be kept in mind that the employment of foreign workers often goes through alternative channels, for example through agencies for the import, employment, and placement of foreign workers, of which there are more than 600 in Croatia.
According to CES data, there are currently 111,979 unemployed people in Croatia.
