After Croatia's admission to the European Union on 1 July, Croatian workers will be able to seek employment in a majority of EU member states without any restrictions, while Austria, Belgium, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have announced transitional bans on the employment of Croatians which can be in force for a maximum of seven years.
Croatians looking for employment in EU countries can turn to EURES, the European Job Mobility Portal, for assistance. The EURES network provides information about job vacancies in 31 European countries (27 EU members plus Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Switzerland), CVs from interested candidates, what job-seekers need to know about living and working abroad.
EURES advisors will be available in the offices of the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Osijek, and all other relevant information will be available on the HZZ website.
After employment in EU member-states, Croatians will be eligible for jobless benefits when they are out of work, in line with the regulations in the country of their last employment.
Specific regulations apply when workers are sent from one EU member to another to do a specific job during a specified time frame. They are known as "posted workers" when they are employed in one EU member state but sent by their employer on a temporary basis to carry out their work in another member state. For example, a service provider may win a contract in another country and send their employees there to carry out the contract. This category does not include migrant workers who go to another member state to seek work and are employed there.
Also, specific regulations are in place for workers from border areas.
As for Austria, Belgium, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain, Croatians can be hired in accordance with bilateral agreements and quotas as long as temporary suspension is in effect. The transitional restrictions can be carried out on a 2+3+2 basis, which means that the initial two-year moratorium could be extended for another three years plus two more years.
Croatia is eligible to introduce reciprocal measures for workers coming from EU members that opt for transitional bans on the employment of Croatians. The same rules were in force for the bloc's newcomers in 2004 and 2007.
Sweden, Romania, Hungary, Ireland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania have confirmed that they will not impose labour restrictions on the Croatians.
