54 PERSPECTIVES ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS | VOL 44 | 2026 2020, peaking in 2024 (Croatian Bureau of Statis- tics, 2025c). In addition to differences in migration, regional aspects have important labor implications. Due to the Adriatic tourism industry, there are seasonal shortages in hospitality and construction, which have led to international recruitment. The City of Zagreb consistently faces shortages in IT professionals, financial analysts, and structural engineers, due to expanding technology and finance sectors. In Northern Croatia, skilled manufacturing and technical workers are in short supply, partly due to limited access to local training. Pannonian Croatia is another region affected by seasonal factors, specifically in agriculture and skilled manufacturing related to harvesting and production (European Employment Services, 2025). Pannonian Croatia had 53% fewer vacancies per unemployed person compared to the national average in 2022, in contrast to the Adriatic region, which was 39.4% above the national average (OECD, 2024a). Seasonal employment is more common in Pannonian Croatia and Adriatic Croatia given the dominant industries there. However, recruitment in Pannonian Croatia is focused locally, whereas recruitment in Adriatic Croatia is often from abroad (European Employment Services, 2025). Taken together, these regional differences demonstrate that geographic and sectoral demand varies throughout the country. The national response to demographic pressures, particularly regarding migration, cannot rely solely on national policies but also must allow regional flexibility. Croatia’s response to recent migrations trends After this recent shift, the Croatian government identified the need for a long-term national plan. In March 2024, the Croatian Parliament passed the 2033 Demographic Revitalization Strategy, with the goals of supporting families and youth and the balanced mobility of people (Parliament Adopts…, n.d.). The second goal appears to be a response to the recent migration trends that have contributed to demographic changes. This goal focuses on two main areas of intervention, cooperation with Croats outside the Republic of Croatia and population mobility. The priorities for the first include diaspora policy development, assisting in the creation of return plans for emigrants and their families, providing free language and culture courses for family members of emigrants, and holding business forums between private and public sectors and members of the diaspora. The second area of intervention covers a wide range of measures from developing a comprehensive migration policy and establishing a population register and migration office, to improving integration of foreigners, creating transportation links between Figure 2 Net international migration by region, 2013–2024 Sources: Author’s calculations based on data from Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 2025c; Državni zavod za Statistiku, 2019.
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