site.btaTrade Union Publishes Critical Position on Regulatory Change Proposals for Hiring Foreigners

Podkrepa Confederation of Labour published on Wednesday a position on proposals for regulatory changes leading to the release of quotas for hiring foreigners.

The position is in connection with a statement by Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov from May 20, which makes a proposal for changes to the regulatory framework regarding a simplified regime for labour migration, "a larger quota for foreigners who can work in one company is part of the prepared measures for a more favorable regime for hiring personnel from third countries". The proposal is for employers to hire foreigners up to 50% of the workforce of a given company.

Podkrepa stressed that any change in legislation, without having undertaken a needs analysis based on reliable, complete and up-to-date information about the deficit in the labour market, local opportunities and the reasons for the identified shortage, may lead to unforeseen negative consequences.

Podkrepa is fundamentally against easing the regimes for hiring foreign citizens, not only because this leads to unfair competition in the labour market and to market distortions at the expense of local workers and employees.

At the meetings held (which began at the end of 2023) with representatives of the executive branch, no analyses were provided regarding the state of the labour market that would lead to a substantiated proposal to increase the quotas for foreign workers. The government is now proposing that up to 50% of a company's workforce be foreigners, while up to 20% of large enterprises and up to 35% of small and medium-sized enterprises are currently allowed to be foreigners.

In this regard, Podkrepa insists the direction, benchmarks and principles on which such changes are based be fully consistent with reality and forecasts, including statistics by sector, region, type of employment and the reasons for the shortage.

After reaching a consensus, based on an analysis of the labour market, specific proposals for changes in the regulatory framework and legal techniques for achieving the goals can be made.

The issue is long-term and such a wide opening of the door should be approached carefully, because it is clear to everyone that once made, it will be much more difficult to correct the mistakes in such a legally established policy. Ultimately, the public interest is paramount, not isolated private cases concerning a given sector, says the union's position.