At the Employment Office, 57 Foreign Workers, and the Number Will Grow

Currently, 57 foreign workers are registered at the employment office, and from the beginning of the year until August, 140 have entered the records. These are data from the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ), which during the same period recorded a total of 89,343 newly registered domestic workers.

The figures clearly show that foreign workers remain a marginal group in the system, as they make up about six percent of the total workforce in Croatia, while their share among the unemployed is measured only in per mille. At the same time, this is an important development – for the first time, they have been allowed to register at the employment office and have the right to unemployment benefits, just like domestic workers.

The latest amendments to the Labor Market Act have enabled citizens of third countries with temporary residence, whose employment has ended, to register in the records of unemployed persons at the HZZ. This has opened access to the social security system and the right to unemployment benefits, which is an important step in their integration into the domestic labor market.

To qualify for benefits, they must meet the same conditions as domestic workers: at least nine months of work in the last two years, or six months if they are under 30, and registration and submission of the application within 30 days of the termination of the contract.

They are not entitled to benefits if they voluntarily resigned, signed an agreement to terminate, failed during a probationary period or internship, if the contract was terminated due to a serious breach of work obligations, or if the unemployed person is serving a prison sentence longer than three months. The basis for calculation is the average gross salary in the three months prior to the termination of work, and if this cannot be determined, the minimum wage applies, which in 2025 amounts to 970 euros.

The benefits are paid in percentages – 60 percent of the base for the first three months, 35 percent from the 91st to the 180th day, and 30 percent thereafter. There are also prescribed limits: a maximum of 70 percent of the average salary in the economy, and at least 50 percent of the minimum wage reduced by contributions. For example, a worker with a minimum wage can expect just over 500 euros net.

The duration of the right depends on the total work experience, and when reapplying, only the period after the last receipt of benefits is counted, to prevent multiple uses of the same experience.

This legal novelty was introduced at a time when Croatia is experiencing strong growth in the number of foreign workers, primarily in construction, tourism, and hospitality, sectors that have struggled for years with a shortage of domestic labor. Therefore, it is expected that the number of registered foreign workers at the employment office will grow as their share in the domestic economy increases and migration pressures strengthen.