At least 250,000 Croatians left the country within the last five years, since Croatia joined the European Union in July 2013.

According to data on the registration of foreign nationals in immigration bureaus in Germany, Austria, and Ireland – the countries that are favourite destinations for Croatian emmigrants – the population drain is showing no signs of abating, in spite of the five years that have passed since the borders were open to Croatian workers, and the recent growth of Croatia’s economy.

Data collected by the German statistics bureau shows that in 2017 more than 56,000 Croatians were registered as living in Germany, a record-high number in the last decade or son. In Austria, more than 5,000 Croatians arrived last year, and the same number moved to Ireland. This means that more than 65,000 Croatians moved to these three countries combined, or nearly 180 every single day, Jutarnji List daily reported on Monday.

By comparison, this equals the total 2011 census population of the Croatian cities of Vinkovci and Koprivnica combined.

In 2012, the last year before Croatia’s EU membership, there were only 14,300 Croatians moving to those three countries, or four and a half times less. A total of 86 Croatians moved to Ireland in 2012, with 537 going to Austria, and more than 7,600 to Germany.

Data shows that this emigration is meant to be permanent, as around 15 percent of all those who moved to Germany were children under 15 years of age – meaning that entire families are moving out of the country.
As for the income structure of those who leave, the data on the number of recipients of social welfare in Croatia speaks volumes – since Croatia’s accession to the EU, their numbers dropped by 25 percent, and in March this year it totalled less than 84,000, which is a record low.

As a result, many employers are experiencing problems. According to the state employment bureau, the number of workers sought by businesses doubled in May 2018 compared to May 2013 – the last May before EU membership.

Employers say finding workers is becoming increasingly difficult, in spite of offering better conditions and significantly raising salaries. But they are still a lot lower compared to other European countries. For example, in the construction sector the average hourly wage in Croatia was €8 last year, while in Germany, Austria, and Ireland it was €22-24.

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