Last year, the Ministry of Interior of Slovenia issued or renewed 318 work permits for citizens of Montenegro.

“From January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, a total of 318 uniform permits were granted to Montenegrin nationals. In the first two months of 2024, specifically from January 1 to February 29, 2024, 53 uniform permits were issued to citizens of Montenegro,” stated Slovenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs to Forbes Montenegro.

This data covers all uniform permits granted to foreigners, specifically third-country citizens, based on a single employment or labor license, for conducting independent activities, for jobs as sentenced workers, for seasonal employment of up to 90 days, for high-skilled employment (the EU Blue Card), for internships, for company operations, and for a unique tourist and work permit for daily laborers from migrant backgrounds, as well as residents seeking longer-term employment in another European Union member state.

According to Forbes, a considerable number of Montenegrin citizens are employed in Slovenia’s construction sector.

Forbes Montenegro recently reported that nearly 1,500 Montenegrin citizens were employed in Croatia last year.

“In the year 2023, 1,488 residence permits were granted to citizens of Montenegro, and in the first two months of 2024, 194 permits were issued,” said Croatia’s officials to Forbes Montenegro.

The majority of permits for residence and work in 2023 and early 2024 were granted in the sectors of tourism, hospitality, construction, transportation, and related industries.

On the Croatian coast, in addition to Montenegrin citizens, workers come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, and even more distant countries like Nepal, India, and the Philippines.

As of last month, there were 38,000 unemployed individuals in Montenegro, as reported by the Employment Service. Despite this, seasonal jobs in Montenegro are not appealing enough to its citizens, even though conditions have markedly improved over recent years. This has contributed to an increasing trend of seasonal workers departing for jobs in neighboring Croatia, primarily due to significantly higher salaries.

One of the factors driving seasonal workers to Croatia is the extended duration of the season, allowing work from April through December.

Due to the worker shortage, Montenegrin employers are increasingly hiring foreigners.

As reported by Forbes Montenegro, last year, a total of 38,943 temporary residence and work permits were issued for foreigners (23,822 in quota and 15,121 outside quota), marking an increase of 9,642 or 32.83 percent over 2022 (29,319 permits in total, with 18,729 in quota and 10,590 outside quota).

According to data from Montenegro’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, out of the total permits issued to foreigners within the quota (23,822), 90.41 percent were for employment (21,537 permits), while 9.59 percent were designated for seasonal work (2,285 permits).

“As in previous years, the majority of permits are issued to foreign workers coming from former SFRY countries (Serbia, BiH, and others, as well as Turkey and Russia),” stated representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to Forbes Montenegro.