“Bridge to Bulgaria” – a new initiative to attract foreigners and return emigrants

Ivaylo Slavov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of VibeJobs, “Business Start”, 25.04.2024

With the changes in the Law on Bulgarians living outside Bulgaria, a permanent Policy Coordination Council for Bulgarians abroad was also created this week. The Council can act as an extension of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, coordinating and implementing the decisions of the various ministries. The business is not directly involved in the council’s work, but hopes to benefit from its activities, he said Ivaylo Slavov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of VibeJobs, in the show “Business Start” with host Hristo Nikolov.

“If rules and regulations are adopted that make it easier for people to return to Bulgaria, give them some opportunity to start, additional aid, this would be of great benefit to business, because we need a lot of labor.”

It can take years for returning Bulgarians from other EU countries to fully enter the health or social security system, which is even more challenging when it comes to the return of an entire family, Slavov said.

“If this permanent council works properly, it can ease the way for long-term settled families abroad to return to Bulgaria.”

Several state programs aimed at Bulgarians abroad are currently being launched, one of which offers information on job vacancies for lower-skilled workers. The rapprochement of wages in sectors such as agriculture between Bulgaria and Germany could be a motivation for some people to return, commented Slavov. Other sectors are industrial production, HoReKa, retail and construction.

The state can establish contacts with the Bulgarian student communities and take advantage of their contacts to offer opportunities in Bulgaria.

Slavov told about the establishment of a new initiative “Bridge to Bulgaria”, which will be a union of companies that deal with the attraction of foreigners to work in Bulgaria and the reintegration of Bulgarians. The initiative will be aimed at providing information and establishing rules, not at finding jobs, with Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Nepal and India being the first target countries.

You can watch the whole conversation in the video.

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