The Bulgarian state intends to increase the arrivals of Indian workers in the coming months, to respond to the labor shortage in certain sectors. But what are the working conditions like? And what future is there for these workers in Europe? Hans is one of them, here is his story.
Two weeks ago, Hans* arrived in Sofia from India on a work visa. Since then, he has worked as a handler alongside Indian and Bulgarian workers. The Bulgarian state intends to increase the arrivals of Indian workers like Hans in the coming months, to respond to the labor shortage in certain sectors. At the moment, the two countries are working on a bilateral agreement.
InfoMigrants wanted to find out what the working conditions are like for people like Hans, and what kind of future might he be able to expect here in Europe?
When we meet Hans in Sofia, in line at the Bulgarian ministry in charge of visa applications, Hans*, 22, has just left his native country, India. Two weeks before, the young man received a one-year work permit and immediately flew to Europe. The day after our meeting, he arranged to meet us at his workplace: a logistics warehouse, in an industrial zone, on the outskirts of the Bulgarian capital. Two of his friends, also Indian and who came on a work visa, are by his side.
Work found via LinkedIn
"I grew up in a village in India, right next to the border with Pakistan. I come from a poor family and I lost my father last year. Since then, all the responsibilities for providing for my family have been on my shoulders.
I found this work on the website Linkedin. I applied remotely, from India, and got a video interview. I was accepted. Following this, I arrived in Sofia by plane. Yesterday, I went to the ministry to collect my one-year work permit.
My colleagues and friends Ramgaria* and Grewal* also obtained a work visa by applying in the same way as me. Ramgaria is a neighbor, he comes from the same province as me, but we only met when we arrived here!"
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At the end of May, Bulgaria announced that it needed nearly 300,000 workers to meet its labor needs in the construction, logistics, transport and tourism sectors. An agreement is being built between the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Indo-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce. The goal is to bring in more Indian workers to remedy the labor shortage affecting the country's economy. Bulgaria has already signed this type of agreement with Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and Israel.
"There are eight other Indians with us. In this warehouse, we do handling, we operate the machines... Our role is to be assistants to the Bulgarian workers in their various tasks. There are between 50 and 60 workers on this site alone. It is not always easy to communicate with them because Bulgarians speak English very poorly."
'We are paid 800 euros per month'
"We work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. With a one-hour break. And for this work, we are paid around 800 euros per month.
In the evening, we all sleep in the same dormitory. As we are far from the city center, without a car, we can't really leave during the week. We stay in this industrial zone.
On weekends, sometimes we take a bus to go to the next village. Our employer takes us all by truck once a week to run our errands.
On the one hand, here, we learn new work skills. It's interesting. But the local salary is too low. So with Ramgaria, we are always looking for new work opportunities, on Linkedin, Facebook, on the Indian immigration office website.
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We would like to move elsewhere in Europe as soon as possible."
Longing for France or Germany, as quickly as possible
"I will leave as soon as I find a better opportunity, because I know that I could have a better salary elsewhere in a country further west. Even while remaining in handling. I dream of going to France, especially to see the Olympic Games in Paris.
Ramgaria has a cooking diploma. He would like to work in Germany or France, in a restaurant. An Indian restaurant, or even an Italian one, to make pizzas, whatever... In the meantime, he's the one who cooks meals for us in the evening, in the dormitory, for everyone! Chicken curry, pakora... He's a real chef.
My second colleague, Grewal, is the only one of us who wants to stay here in Bulgaria for two or three more years. Then, he plans to return to India. He wants to open a business there, with everything he learned here."
*Interviewees were anonymized to protect their identities.
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