HR Consulting in 2026: Turning Skills Shortages into an Action Plan

Why employers need more than recruitment: they need better planning of roles, skills and team development.

In 2026, the challenge for employers in Bulgaria is increasingly about more than where to advertise an open position. With low unemployment, rising labour costs and a persistent gap between available skills and business needs, HR decisions need to be connected to operational and financial planning.

According to the National Statistical Institute, unemployment in Bulgaria was 3.5% in the second quarter of 2026, while the employment rate for people aged 15–64 reached 70.5%. Average gross monthly pay was EUR 1,444, up 9.8% year on year. Total hourly labour costs rose by 9.9% compared with the same quarter of 2025.

These figures do not determine the salary that any particular employer should offer. They do, however, explain why filling vacancies one by one is becoming a less sustainable strategy. Employers need a more structured HR approach that connects growth plans with workforce availability, required skills and the real cost of employment.

What the current environment means for employers

The labour market is not the same across all sectors and regions. At the end of June 2026, the number of employees under employment contracts was 2.37 million, down 0.7% from June 2025. The largest decline was recorded in manufacturing, while human health and social work increased. For employers, this means that national indicators should be supplemented with analysis of the specific occupation, location and available talent pool.

The European Commission has noted that Bulgarian employers reported a need for more than 230,000 additional workers in 2025. At the same time, mismatches remain between vocational education and labour-market demand, participation in adult learning is limited, and basic digital skills are insufficient for many workers. The issue is therefore not only the number of candidates, but also how closely their profiles match the work that needs to be done.

Start with workforce planning

A practical approach begins with an annual review of roles and skills, rather than simply maintaining a list of vacancies. The company should identify critical business processes, positions where the absence of one person creates significant risk, and the capabilities that will be needed as technology, customer demand or workload changes.

A skills matrix can show which capabilities already exist internally, where the company depends on a single employee and which roles could be covered through training or internal mobility. This gives management a basis for deciding whether to recruit, develop an existing employee, adjust the requirements of a role or combine several approaches.

Developing skills instead of relying only on external hiring

When the external talent pool is limited, reskilling and upskilling can be a more predictable alternative to searching indefinitely for candidates who are ready to perform every aspect of a role from day one. This does not mean lowering standards without a plan. It means distinguishing between capabilities that are essential immediately and those that can be developed through structured onboarding and training.

Internal development is most effective when it is linked to clear career paths, defined progression criteria and measurable outcomes. Training alone will not solve a skills gap if employees have no opportunity to apply what they have learned. Employers should therefore plan the training content, manager support and next role or responsibility together.

The Council of the EU recommendation for Bulgaria, adopted on 10 July 2026, highlights the quality and labour-market relevance of education and training, adult learning, the employment of underrepresented groups and better coordination between employment and social services. These are not new direct obligations for employers. They can nevertheless provide a useful framework when companies design development programmes or consider relevant training and funding initiatives.

The total cost of employment is more than salary

Higher pay and labour costs require more precise workforce budgeting. In addition to salary, employers should consider recruitment time, onboarding, absence, turnover, training and the time required for a new employee to reach the expected level of productivity. In some roles, a more expensive but stable hire may have a lower total cost than a quick appointment followed by early departure.

The NSI data for the second quarter of 2026 are preliminary, and the Labour Force Survey is sample-based and subject to statistical error. National indicators can support planning, but they should not be the only basis for setting a particular salary or staffing budget.

A broader talent pool through inclusive hiring

Employers can expand their access to candidates through structured programmes for young people, older workers, people with disabilities, individuals outside the labour market and candidates from regions with lower employment. This requires more than changing the wording of a job advertisement. It may also involve reviewing requirements, assessment methods, work organisation and onboarding support.

An inclusive approach has practical value when it is connected to a real business need. Some roles can be divided into smaller responsibilities, training can be phased, and a combination of on-site and remote work may be possible where the nature of the work allows it. The key is to base the solution on the actual duties of the role rather than on general promises.

Using external HR expertise effectively

An external HR consultant can support market analysis, skills mapping, workforce planning, pay assessment and the design of recruitment and development processes. The value of that support is greatest when it is tied to a specific business decision rather than delivered only as a general report.

Before commissioning a project, the employer should agree how success will be measured: time to fill, quality of hire, retention after probation, cost per hire, training participation or productivity impact. These measures help determine whether the work is addressing the underlying problem or merely accelerating the temporary filling of vacancies.

The regulatory environment should also be monitored as part of HR planning. For example, amendments to the Bulgarian Labour Code adopted on 25 September 2026 and promulgated in the State Gazette on 29 September 2026 enter into force on 3 October 2026. They change the framework for setting and assessing the national minimum wage. This illustrates why staffing budgets and internal policies should be reviewed in good time, while EU recommendations or discussed measures should not be presented as binding employment-law obligations before the relevant official act exists.

For employers in 2026, effective HR consulting means fewer reactive searches and more connected decisions: planning critical roles, developing existing employees, assessing the total cost of employment, widening the talent pool and measuring outcomes. This turns skills shortages from a permanent constraint into a manageable part of the business plan.