Croats Dominate Platforms: Official Figures Debunk the Myth of Foreigners

Looking at the situation on the streets of Croatian cities, where every year there seem to be more food delivery workers with colorful bags on bicycles and scooters, as well as taxi vehicles, the impression is that these jobs are most often done by foreign workers.

However, the official figures from the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy reveal a completely different trend. Namely, significantly more domestic workers than foreigners are still employed on digital platforms in Croatia.

In the reports on platform work in Croatia for 2024 and 2025, which the Ministry issues to introduce order and transparency in this rapidly growing sector, four platforms were analyzed – Bolt and Uber for taxi services and Glovo and Wolt for food delivery.

More Croats, Fewer Foreigners

According to data obtained from the JEER system (Unique Electronic Work Record), a total of 22,083 people worked through digital platforms in 2024. Interestingly, this number slightly decreased in 2025, to 21,704 people who worked throughout the year or for a shorter period.

An even more unexpected statistic is about the nationality of the workers. While there were 5,104 foreign nationals in 2024 (compared to 16,382 Croats), in 2025 there were about six hundred more Croatian workers, while the number of foreign workers fell to 4,727.

Such a trend could be a direct consequence of the introduction of the new Foreigners Act in 2025, which tightened the conditions for the residence and work of foreigners, but also allowed for better control of the aggregators, i.e., intermediary companies or agencies through which these foreigners are employed.

Workers Often Change Intermediaries and Platforms

The entire model of work through digital platforms in Croatia relies on these intermediaries, or aggregators. In 2025, nearly 27,000 people worked through them, with this number referring to contracts rather than unique workers, as one person often works through multiple aggregators. This is a significant increase compared to just over 19,000 in 2024.

This higher number of contracts with aggregators compared to the number of people who worked on the platforms shows that workers often change intermediaries or work for multiple ones simultaneously to accumulate more hours or better commissions.

The difference between perception and statistics further arises from the fact that domestic workers often use the platforms as an additional source of income, while foreign workers work longer shifts and are therefore more visible on the streets.

The average working time on digital platforms in 2024 was 4 hours and 10 minutes per day, or about 21 hours per week, and in 2025 it remained almost identical, so it can be assumed that this average is ‘broken’ by domestic workers with very few hours of work, while foreigners, whom we encounter more often, work longer shifts. At the same time, it should be noted that the reported number of hours does not necessarily correspond to the actual work performed, as inspection oversight has previously identified undeclared work in this sector.

Most Young People Aged 25 to 29

Nevertheless, there is also a visible trend of an increasing number of those who open their own businesses through which they work on digital platforms. In 2025, there were 4,636 of them, while the previous year there were even half as many, i.e., 2,215.

Regarding working hours, of the total number of workers who have a classic employment contract, in 2025 about five thousand people worked full-time, and as many as 12,000 worked part-time. A special feature is the contracts for work on demand, which represent a specific legal framework intended precisely for on-demand work, and do not include student or apprentice contracts that are recorded separately, of which 4,120 were recorded in 2025, where working hours are recorded only when the worker is active on the application.

Although in 2024 taxi driving accounted for 70 percent of jobs through digital platforms, and food delivery 30 percent, in 2025 the share of food delivery increased to 35 percent, while taxi driving slightly decreased to 65 percent.

The largest number of workers, especially those employed through aggregators, still belongs to the age group of 25 to 29 years, with a large majority being men (90 percent), while among foreign nationals, the most numerous are those from India and Nepal, and these data did not change significantly between 2024 and 2025.

As expected, the most work through digital platforms is done in large urban centers. Thus, in 2024, the most jobs were performed in Zagreb and Split, and the same trend continued in 2025 when the largest number of individually completed jobs was again recorded in the City of Zagreb, followed by the Split-Dalmatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties.

Soon Data on Construction Work

The JEER system has proven to be an extremely useful tool in detecting undeclared work, and thanks to its introduction, the state now has accurate data on work on digital platforms. For this reason, the government plans to expand this record-keeping model to other sectors where ‘black’ work is most pronounced, for example, in construction.

Amendments to the Law on Combating Undeclared Work foresee the introduction of a similar system on construction sites, whereby the state plans to put an end to manipulation of working hours in 2026 and ensure better protection for workers.