ZAGREB, 20 Feb (Hina) - With the legal changes that are being prepared with the aim of improving conditions for the import of foreign labour, the Interior Ministry plans to strengthen the supervision of employers by setting new conditions, such as the introduction of a ratio between the number of domestic and foreign workers. In 2023, 172,499 residence and work permits were issued in Croatia to nationals of third countries, and an interdepartmental group, which, in addition to state bodies, also includes representatives of trade unions and employers, is working on changes to legal regulations in order to make order in the system of foreign labor import. With the changes, which have been announced for a long time, employers should be better regulated and monitored, but quality controls of the workforce imported by employers are also being introduced. "In addition to many other changes, we want to highlight those that better regulate and monitor the employment of foreign labor for the purpose of protecting foreign workers, as well as enabling their employment by employers who really need that labor force, especially skilled workers," the Interior Ministry told Hina. Ministry: We will exclude those who abuse the system The Ministry said that in the future conditions for issuing work permits will be tightened in such a way that new conditions will be introduced for a positive opinion by the Croatian Employment Service. According to the Law on Aliens, a positive opinion of the employment service is the basis on which the Ministry of the Interior issues work permits. In addition, the ministry will check employers and the working conditions they offer, in order to make sure that they are legitimate employers. At least one permanently employed domestic worker for a minimum of one year In addition, employers will be asked to have a certain ratio of the number of employed domestic and foreign workers. Furthermore, another condition for a positive opinion by the employment bureau will be that employers seeking a work permit for foreign workers have employed one domestic worker full-time for at least one year. This condition has existed so far, but the employment period has been shorter - companies had to have one local employee for at least six months. Ministry gives more specific data on work permits The Ministry of the Interior also released more specific data on the number of active work permits last year. Although a total of 172,499 residence and work permits were issued to citizens of third countries in 2023, on the last day of last year the number of foreign workers with a valid work permit was down by 50,000 to 117,549. The ministry explains this with the fact that foreign workers in Croatia can change jobs, so the ministry can issue multiple residence and work permits for the same person during the year. To that one should add the fact that of the total number of issued permits, over 18,000 were for seasonal jobs, that is, they were issued with a validity period of six months.