Eurostat: almost one in five workers in Bulgaria is employed by a foreign firm
Foreign-controlled companies employ 18.7 percent of the business workforce in Bulgaria – more than the EU average of 15.5 percent. In Germany the share is 12.1 percent.
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Significantly more people in Bulgaria work for foreign-controlled companies than the EU average. According to Eurostat data for 2023, such firms employed 18.7 percent of the workforce in the business economy, a total of 411,020 people. That is 3.2 percentage points above the EU average of 15.5 percent. In neighbouring Romania, the share is considerably higher at 26.9 percent.
Across the EU, foreign-controlled enterprises make up only 1.1 percent of all firms, but they account for 28.6 percent of turnover and 24.0 percent of value added. In Luxembourg, 44.5 percent of employees work for such firms, in Slovakia 28.0, in Ireland 27.6 and in Czechia 27.5 percent. In Germany the share is 12.1 percent, in France 11.9 percent and in Italy 9.9 percent.
Eurostat attributes the large economic weight of these firms to the fact that they are on average much bigger than domestic companies. In countries with a strong foreign presence, employment is often concentrated in manufacturing. Relatively low labour costs and integration into cross-border production chains are cited as reasons for attracting foreign capital.