IT experts, marketing managers, people employed at outsourcing companies, business consultants and financial advisors are among the most demanded specialists at present, indicate data of a poll conducted by Radio Bulgaria during the 2021 edition of Tuk-Tam Career Hive forum held in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. Career Hive is the biggest event that meets Bulgarians who studied and work abroad and tries to engage them with the local business ecosystem. During the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of Bulgarians returned from abroad. Most of them are highly qualified specialists who manage to find a well-paid job in Bulgaria quickly and easily. “Currently, there is a big demand in the labor market for people who are fluent in foreign languages”- said Rostislav Dyankov who works in a recruitment company and added:

“The outsourcing industry is developing rapidly. The companies are constantly recruiting new staff. Moreover, many people employed at different industries such as the tourism sector join the outsourcing industry, because they have the opportunity to use their language skills and fully use their potential in a new sphere, which has not been affected by the coronavirus pandemic that much. The outsourcing companies have already started to offer training, so that their new employees can retrain quickly and acquire job-specific skills.”

According to Rostislav, unlike other sectors like the tourism industry, there is a shortage of workforce in the outsourcing sector. Many Bulgarians who have knowledge of foreign languages and people who return from abroad apply for a job at his company. Moreover, many companies have started to offer opportunities for teleworking during the coronavirus pandemic. Practically, telework is becoming a preferred mode of working by job applicants and employers.

Twenty-four-year old Ralitsa Dodova is also among the visitors of Tuk-Tam Career Hive. She studied digital marketing in the Netherlands and is currently working as a freelancer in Bulgaria. Ralitsa admits that she is still at the beginning of her professional career. However, the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic changed her plans to make a career in the Netherlands.

Ralitsa returned to her home country one year ago, but she has no regrets about going back home. “Fortunately, things got off to a good start, so every cloud has a silver lining”. It turned out that there is a wide range of marketing companies in Bulgaria. However, in Ralitsa’s words, the companies prefer to hire experienced staff.

“I have noticed that there is staffing shortage in the project management field. Moreover, when you apply for a job in the marketing sphere, it turns out that the companies are mostly looking for marketing managers, not interns or trainees. I noticed that they are unwilling to invest time and money to train people. I am rather participating at this career forum to expand my network of professional contacts. Of course, if someone decides that my experience is enough for a managerial position, I would pursue this challenge.”- Ralitsa Dodova said in conclusion.

Written by: Veneta Nikolova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov