Croatia is facing labor shortages in various industries, including construction and building trades, automotive services, culinary arts and food production, and information technology and software development. The Croatian labour market policies, as outlined by the European Commission, have been deemed ineffective in addressing these needs. Labour shortages in the final quarter of 2022 have exceeded pre-pandemic levels across all sectors, surpassing the averages observed in Europe.
The misalignment between active labour market policies and these challenges is particularly impacting medium-skilled and low-skilled workers, limiting their employment opportunities. High demand for certain sectors and professions, such as construction and building trades, automotive and transportation services, culinary arts and food production, and information technology and software development, has increased the chances of foreign individuals obtaining a Croatian visa.
Salaries in various sectors vary, with construction and real estate salaries ranging from €740 to €1,738, transport, haulage, and logistics salaries from €653 to €1,347, and agriculture and the food industry salaries starting from €632 to €1,277. Technology and Development sectors offer more competitive salaries, ranging from €843 to €3,018, according to the same source.
As of 2023, the estimated minimum monthly net wage in Croatia is around €560, with the median monthly net salary estimated at €1,150. However, certain professions face challenges in finding employment due to their surplus in the country, such as photography, economics, business secretarial roles, administrative officers, graphic arts technicians, environmental technicians, fashion design technicians, and tourism and hospitality operators.
Croatia’s labor market faces challenges such as high emmigration rates, skill mismatches, and a need for economic diversification to create sustainable job opportunities. Most experts agree that the dependency on the tourism sector is simply too high at the moment.
