A meeting was held at the Bulgarian National Freight Forwarding Association (NSBS) Secretariat with Mr Vu Viet Thanh, Head of the Vietnamese Trade Office in Bulgaria. The meeting focused on recruiting workers from Vietnam to meet the needs of Bulgaria’s transport, freight forwarding and logistics sectors.
The discussion centred on current business workforce needs and the sector's personnel shortages. Professional truck drivers and warehouse workers were identified as the roles most severely affected by the shortage of personnel, with companies continuing to face significant challenges in finding suitable candidates for these positions.
Particular attention was paid to the procedural hurdles involved in hiring workers from third countries. Participants discussed the need to streamline and accelerate the processes for issuing the necessary permits and visas, including Type D visas, which are often delayed by lengthy inter-agency approval procedures.
Other practical challenges discussed included the language barrier and differences in candidates' professional training and qualifications. There was also a call for better pre-departure information and preparation for workers regarding the demands of the Bulgarian transport and logistics market, specifically with regard to professional competencies and the work environment.
The meeting outlined potential avenues for future cooperation between the NSBS and the Vietnamese authorities in finding solutions to ensure the sector has the necessary workforce. Prospects for partnership in other areas of mutual interest relating to the development of economic and trade relations between Bulgaria and Vietnam were also discussed.
The NSBS will continue to work towards identifying practical solutions to the labour shortage and creating conditions that facilitate business access to the necessary human resources.
