The Zagreb government plans to increase the annual quota for foreign work permits to 63,600 in 2019, Vecernji List daily reported on Monday, adding that for the first time the country would have to resort to importing nurses.

The quota, applied to non-EU workers and subdivided into quotas per sector, is set every year by the government in December. It is based on recommendations by various business associations and serves as an indicator of the shortage of workers, especially in areas such as tourism and construction.

In recent years, the overall quota had exploded from around 9,000 in 2017 to some 31,000 for 2018 – which was again increased during the year to nearly 38,000.

In addition, not only has the government increased the maximum quotas sevenfold since 2017, but the number of sectors needing extra workers also keeps expanding, with Vecernji List reporting that for the first time in its history Croatia will seek to import some 200 nurses – including 50 for jobs in the health care system, and another 150 at retirement homes.

According to Vecernji List, Croatia’s social welfare system has not been affected by the labour shortage until now, with only five foreign nationals hired this year to work as guide dog trainers. But next year as many as 460 foreigners may be hired in this sector.

In addition to nurses and carers, retirement homes also need cooks, assistant cooks, and cleaners. There is also demand for 10 physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and social workers, five psychologists, as well as five speech therapists.

The newspaper said that 1,800 Croatian nurses have left the country this year, mostly for Germany, where they can earn between €1,800 and €2,000 net a month, a far cry from the roughly €684 average take-home pay in Croatia.

“The quota for 2019 is broken down into 41,810 permits for new hires; 6,540 permits for seasonal jobs in tourism, farming, and forestry; 250 permits for intra-company transfers, and 15,000 existing permit renewals,” Vecernji List said.

The greatest demand for foreign labour has been registered in the construction industry, which needs as many as 18,500 workers, tourism and hospitality (15,400), agriculture and forestry (3,530), transport (2,314) and the metal industry (2,200), Vecernji List said.

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