Employers report a need for 261,926 workers and specialists over the next 12 months with skills and knowledge in a variety of occupational fields that will be required for enterprises to operate effectively. This is nearly 9.3% of the currently employed workforce. Compared to the results of the 2023 surveys, there is a slight decrease in the stated workforce needs by 2.6% or about 7,000 fewer workers and specialists. Compared to the 2019 employment record average, demand in 2024 is at 82% of that in 2019.

The survey gathered important information on the attitudes of Bulgarian businesses towards the expected competences and skills of the workforce. One in four employers ranked personal and social competence as the most important factor for business success, followed by language and entrepreneurial competence, with 17% and 12% respectively. For 87% of businesses, self-control and discipline are the most necessary skills for staff to have. Employers (85%) ranked teamwork and communication skills second most important.

The survey results also show that 59,219 firms will hire new staff in the next 12 months. Compared to the 2023 survey, the number has increased by 3,919 or 7.1%.

The share of employers stating that they will face difficulties in finding the specialists and workers they need is slightly increasing – from 63.8% on average in 2023 to 66.7% in 2024. The most frequently mentioned problem in finding new hires is the lack of qualification of candidates – in 43.1% of cases.

The number of businesses that believe they need to make staff redundant is 17,300, up from 12,600 in 2023, an increase of 37.3% of employers forced to downsize in the next 12 months.

The Labour Needs Survey is carried out once a year to collect and analyze up-to-date information on the occupations, competences, knowledge and skills of employers and to plan measures to organize their vocational training.