The Burgas Chamber of Commerce and Industry has produced a method, a guide for employers and an online platform to make it easier to hire workers from outside the EU, the chamber said.

The aim is to cut red tape for employers and make information on the procedures easier to find.

The tools are part of the project "Functionally Sustainable Migration and Integration in Bulgaria" (FUMI in Bulgaria), which the chamber runs with the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development (CEED Bulgaria). The platform is called "BGJobsPortal" and provides information to support labour mobility.

The project also produced studies and analyses of the needs and attitudes of employers and of citizens of non-EU countries.

The chamber says a shortage of skilled staff, and the need for a better way to attract workers from abroad, are among the biggest problems facing Bulgarian firms. It says hiring requires reliable information and better co-ordination between employers and institutions.

The project is backed by the Interior Ministry and funded by the European Union through its Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.