Nelfar Nazarova left her job as an accountant in Uzbekistan to work at a hotel on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, amid a labor shortage resulting from an aging population and brain drain.
The woman in her forties moved to the coastal town of Albena in 2022, similar to many others from her country who arrived in Bulgaria after the COVID-19 pandemic. “At first, there were very few Uzbeks,” she notes. “Now, we number about a hundred each season,” she adds, praising the “stable salaries” and “friendly reception.”
For years, Central and Eastern Europe, which experienced significant emigration following the fall of communism, has been welcoming workers from Asia. In Bulgaria, these workers have become essential in the tourism sector, which accounts for 7% of the national income and has tens of thousands of job vacancies.
According to a recent study conducted among Bulgarian companies, eight out of ten managers are facing labor shortages and many are willing to hire workers from third countries. The situation is particularly beneficial for Uzbek workers, who currently number around 20,000, including seasonal employees in a nation of 6.4 million.
If this trend continues, they could become a significant minority within five to six years, according to migration expert Philip Goniev. He emphasizes that demand for labor recruitment services has surged, particularly in Albena, which attracts visitors from throughout Europe. Many of those working in kitchens, bars, or hotels are from abroad, especially Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan.
The Albena complex, previously a source of pride during the communist era and a host to many prominent guests such as Fidel Castro, has withstood the real estate boom that has reshaped much of the Bulgarian coastline.
Uzbek worker Gulraykhan Muksanbetovna, a 20-year-old student, works in a four-star hotel restaurant overlooking the Black Sea. “The work is tough but the people are nice,” she says with a smile. She shares her daily experiences on Instagram, excitedly telling her followers, “This interests people from my country, and they want to come here too. I used to have a thousand followers, but now I have about 10,000.”
Krasimira Stoyanova, who manages one of the companies overseeing the complex, points out that “they receive accommodation and food and earn significantly higher wages than they do at home, which motivates them.” She mentions that while they might earn between $100 and $150 at home, in Bulgaria, salaries start around $600 and can exceed $800.
Cultural and historical ties to Moscow also attract Uzbeks to Bulgaria, where they can benefit from speaking Russian. The Bulgarian government has decided to ease visa regulations. Goniev states that “the country’s demographics in a decade will depend on this policy,” lamenting the “complicated bureaucratic processes” and rampant corruption that might deter workers from coming.
This issue is crucial for Bulgarian businesses, as since 1990, the country has lost around two million citizens. Although only a few have returned, the future appears grim, with a quarter of the population over sixty-five.