Author: Maria Ilcheva
“In Bulgaria, I have more money left from my salary than in Germany. About 600 leva more per month“, says Kristina Borisova. In early 2025, she returned to Bulgaria - after over eight years in Germany. She began considering this step during the Covid-19 pandemic, when home office became the norm. “I was already working from home anyway. On a personal level, changes also occurred and my children and I decided to return to Bulgaria“, the 41-year-old woman tells DV.
Today, Kristina lives in Pomorie and continues to work for her German employer – Adhoc company based in Gera, in her old position as a data processing specialist. In Bulgaria, she receives her German salary. She does not pay rent because she lives in her own home. And she is close to her relatives.
Radimir Bitsov has also returned to Bulgaria after eight years in Germany. Today, he lives in Sofia and continues to work for his German employer – ACB Studio, a small IT company based in Düsseldorf. He returned five years ago.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we had a child and we wanted to be close to our relatives. And in Berlin, where we lived, it was very difficult to find a bigger apartment“, says the 38-year-old IT specialist. “The fact that I have much more net income from my German salary in Bulgaria than in Germany is a pleasant side effect.“
More and more people returning to Bulgaria
Kristina and Radimir are far from the only ones. “In Bulgaria, there has always been talk of a brain drain, but in recent years I have witnessed a reverse trend - more and more young and educated Bulgarians are returning from Germany to Bulgaria and continuing to work for their German employer“, Konstantin Ruskov tells DV.
He is a lawyer and his office serves German employers whose Bulgarian employees are moving to Bulgaria, from where they continue to work remotely. “If at the beginning of the pandemic we had five such clients, now there are at least 80. Some have one employee in Bulgaria, others - 20“, emphasizes Ruskov.
There are no official statistics covering the exact number of Bulgarians who returned from Germany and continue to work for their German employer from Bulgaria.
However, the data of the German Statistical Office Destatis for 2024 report, for the first time since 2014, a decreasing number of Bulgarians registered in the country – as part of a general trend in the migration of citizens from EU member states to and from Germany (in 2014, 183,263 Bulgarians were registered in Germany, since then their number has been increasing - until 2023, when the peak was reached - 436,860; in 2024 they are 432,080).
And the last three statistics of the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI) indicate that since 2022, more Bulgarian citizens have returned to Bulgaria than have left abroad (2022: 19,032 returned, 11,972 left; 2023: 17,017 returned, 11,913 left; 2024: 18,205 returned, 9,119 left).
4,500 euros net in Germany, 6,000 euros in Bulgaria
Sylvi Boyadzhieva also left Germany during the pandemic and returned to Bulgaria - after ten years in Munich, where she studied and worked. Today, the 34-year-old economist lives in Sofia and works for a Finnish company with a branch in Germany - Avidly Germany GmbH. She returned mainly because of her partner, with whom she wanted to live in the same city and build a family. And Sylvi confirms to DW that the move also had a great financial advantage - to receive a Western salary in Bulgaria.
„The reasons for returning to Bulgaria are strictly individual. But for many of the young, highly qualified Bulgarians who have taken this step, the motivation is financial“, says Konstantin Ruskov and gives the following example: “I had a 30-year-old client who in Munich earned 8,000 euros gross and after all the deductions in the German tax class 1, he was left with about 4,500 euros net. From there on, he had to pay rent, and in a city like Munich, rents have skyrocketed in recent years. In Bulgaria, out of 8,000 euros, he currently has about 6,000 euros net“.
Construction workers are also returning
The lawyer points out that in recent years, many construction workers have also returned. Recently, in Bulgaria, they earn at least as much as in Germany. “But with this group, things are a little different. In Germany they get good salaries, but everything is legal and they don't have much left after taxes and social security. In Bulgaria this industry is almost entirely in the grey sector - you will hardly find a tiler who will issue you an invoice. And the prices of labor in construction have also risen a lot," emphasizes Ruskov.
His words are confirmed by Atanas Toshkov. He himself has a construction company in Bonn, one of his workers recently returned. "In Bulgaria, 90% of construction work is done in the grey sector and the prices per square meter are now almost the same as in Germany. But in Bulgaria, the craftsmen take this money without deductions. A good craftsman can earn from 10 to 20 thousand leva per month. In Germany, this is difficult - because everything is legal", the builder says in an interview with DV.
Toshkov says that life in Germany has become more difficult and more expensive, but he himself would not return to Bulgaria. "Here in Germany, I have been building my name and proving myself for many years. And yet, life is more peaceful. There's no way I can just leave it and go to Bulgaria, where I don't know what awaits me."
What are the advantages for German employers?
Lawyer Ruskov says that returning construction workers rarely seek his services. His office works mostly with German companies whose employees are moving to Bulgaria. He points out that the move also has advantages for companies - they have lower labor costs for their employees in Bulgaria than in Germany, since they provide them under the Bulgarian system. “These German companies have no investment costs, they don't have a headquarters in Bulgaria. Their employees are simply registered there“, explains Ruskov and says that we are talking about a variety of highly qualified personnel - architects, lawyers, economists, IT specialists.
At the EU level, the transfer is regulated extremely well, the lawyer points out. “Registration is easy and cheap. In Germany, several documents have to be obtained, which can take several weeks, but in Bulgaria everything happens very quickly.“
Ruskov points out that the main motive of German companies to agree to the transfer of their Bulgarian employees is that they retain their staff. And this is especially important against the background of the shortage of highly qualified employees in Germany.
Klaus Dirzen is the director of the German company Aurebus Consulting GmbH, headquartered in Brühl. He has a Bulgarian employee who works for his company remotely from Sofia. In an interview with DV Dirzen points out that financial advantages did not play a role in the appointment of the Bulgarian IT specialist. “We did not do it to save money. We pay the same salary as in Germany - regardless of which country our employees live in. For us, the most important thing is the quality of the work“, he says.
"It's quite good to live on a German salary in Bulgaria"
His employee Iliya Chimev did not work for Aurebus Consulting GmbH in Germany. He applied for the position directly from Bulgaria and has been part of the company's team for three years now. “It's quite good to live on a German salary in Bulgaria. This was one of the reasons I was looking for a German employer. Although in Bulgaria, in the IT sector, salaries are generally good“, says the 44-year-old IT specialist.
“But I also really like the German work culture. I lived in Germany when I was younger and even then I really liked the way they work there - calm people, they really only deal with what they need to, they don't scatter themselves in different areas. If possible, I would always work with Germans. But best with Germans from Bulgaria.“
"In Bulgaria, some things are more expensive than in Germany"
Ilia, Kristina, Radimir and Sylvie share that recently the effect of their German salaries has diminished - because prices in Bulgaria have risen, especially in Sofia. "In Bulgaria, some things - like clothes and food - are even more expensive than in Germany", Kristina is indignant. All four say that they miss the order and cleanliness of Germany, as well as the healthcare. They share that they have never felt isolated or discriminated against there.
For all four, the biggest plus of working from Bulgaria is the proximity to family. "There is no perfect place. There are problems everywhere," says Iliya. But he quickly adds that he is disappointed and worried about the political situation in the country, which he believes is tragic. "Currently, people with dubious reputations are at the helm of the state and the governance is catastrophic. If they raise taxes and social security even more, they will drive out foreign investors, and people like me."
According to Iliya, the business environment, which has been very good for years, is starting to deteriorate. "These two at the helm of the state are creating a very toxic environment," says Iliya, sharing that he is participating in the anti-government protests because, in his opinion, the moment is critical. "I am worried about the future of Bulgaria. I don't know if the EU has ever seen another of its countries so strongly influenced by a politician who has been subject to international sanctions."
Radimir and Sylvie are also taking part in the protests. The 38-year-old economist says she is concerned about mass resignation and a culture of short-term profit at any cost. She says that if the tax burden and social spending increase, but the system does not provide better services and infrastructure at the same time, this would lead to a decline in the quality of life.
Konstantin Ruskov also believes that developments in Bulgaria are very worrying. "The trend is that the state is starting to give money to its own people." According to him, if the political situation does not improve, the country could once again lose these highly qualified people who have returned from abroad. "They are well-educated, speak several languages, are pragmatic and can work both from Bulgaria and from any other country in Europe and the world."
"If the political situation does not change, I might leave Bulgaria"
"I would be happiest staying in Bulgaria. But if the political situation does not improve, I will start to think about leaving", admits 44-year-old Iliya.
Sylvie does not rule out this possibility either. "I am even considering it in the future, when my children grow up, if conditions in Bulgaria do not improve. I would most likely look for a country with more stable public services and higher quality healthcare and education — for example Switzerland or Denmark", she says.
Radimir can also imagine leaving Bulgaria again. "Proximity to family is a very big factor, but I still remain open to going to another country. Even to Germany again. I miss the orderliness and practicality of this country."