The Easter holiday marks the start of the tourist season in Dubrovnik, with thousands of visitors arriving on the summer flight schedule. But as in previous years, local employers are facing a familiar challenge – a shortage of workers.
To meet demand, hospitality and tourism businesses are increasingly relying on foreign workers, particularly from countries such as the Philippines, Nepal, and Bangladesh. While employers praise the performance of these workers, they say a new law on foreign nationals has made the hiring process more complicated.
“For me, working in Croatia is three times more profitable than back home in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Goran Manigoda, a seasonal worker. “This is my fifth year. I had four seasons, and now I’m on a one-year contract. In August, I’ll extend it to three years.”
The revised legislation offers greater protection for foreign workers, but employers argue the new rules have created additional bureaucracy and slowed the recruitment process.
“Other sectors created problems by mistreating workers, and now we in the tourism and hospitality industry are paying the price,” said Đani Banovac from Dubrovnik’s Hospitality Guild.
Srđan Pujo, director of Hotel Lero, described one case where a worker waited for months. “Once we receive the work permit, we send it so she can apply for a visa. But under the current system, she has only seven days to start work – and she can’t get a visa within that time.”
According to Dubrovnik-Neretva County police, just over 4,200 work permits have been issued to third-country nationals so far this year, roughly on par with last year. In 2023, the total reached nearly 13,000, mostly for tourism, hospitality, construction, and retail.
“Most of the permits are issued for lower-skilled positions – assistant chefs, waiters, room attendants, cleaners,” said Katarina Krile, head of the Dubrovnik office of the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ).
The influx of foreign workers is also having knock-on effects in other sectors. In Medveja, a campsite is cancelling tourist bookings to accommodate foreign seasonal staff.
Many Croatians have left for better job opportunities in other EU countries, a trend employers say leaves them with little choice but to look abroad.
“People have always moved toward a better life,” said Banovac. “If Croatia has become a kind of America for someone, maybe that means we’ve made some progress.”
Tourism and hospitality employers have announced plans to propose amendments to the Foreigners Act in a bid to streamline hiring and improve working conditions for both employees and businesses.
