There are many seasonal job openings in Montenegro

Seasonal Work in Montenegro

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro issued 1,488 seasonal work permits between January 1 and August 10, 2021. The majority of these permits went to citizens of neighboring countries. However, this year, for the first time, some more exotic workers appeared on the market — people from Thailand, Cuba, Mexico, and Nepal arrived in Montenegro for temporary employment.

Where Seasonal Workers in Montenegro Come From

Most seasonal workers in Montenegro came from Serbia, which accounted for 844 work permits. Bosnia and Herzegovina followed with 178 workers, while Kosovo sent 166. Macedonia accounted for 86 workers, and Albania — 40. Only 4 Croatians received work permits, which is not surprising since wages are higher in Croatia.

Ukrainian citizens received 39 permits for seasonal employment in Montenegro, Turkey — 25, Russia — 16, Italy — 6, Belarus — 5, and Georgia — 4. Montenegro also hosts three seasonal workers from Cuba, two each from Slovakia and Hungary, and one each from Egypt, France, Israel, Kazakhstan, China, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and several other countries.

A seasonal work permit in Montenegro is valid for up to 6 months and can be extended for another 2 months with the same or a different employer. In total, the maximum validity period is 8 months.

Besides foreigners, 6,425 Montenegrin citizens also took seasonal jobs during this period.

60% of Seasonal Workers Are Employed in Hotels

Hotels and restaurants remain the biggest employers of seasonal workers. According to labor office data, 722 foreign work permits were issued for jobs in these sectors.

An additional 370 foreign seasonal workers were employed in the service sector outside of hotels and restaurants, and 43 were employed in transportation.

Compared to 2020, the number of foreign seasonal workers increased significantly this year. In fact, in 2020, Montenegro employed 5.7 times fewer foreign seasonal workers than in 2021. However, the current number is still below the 2019 level, when 3,124 foreigners worked in the country. That means this year’s figure represents about 60.9% of the same period in 2019.

Staff Shortages in Hotels

Žarko Radulović, co-owner of the Montenegro Stars hotel group, which includes the well-known Splendid Hotel, said that they hired fewer workers than they needed this year. “In July and August 2021, we were short by 150 workers,” Radulović noted.

He explained that one of the main problems was the quality of applicants — most were inexperienced young people who did not want to work for less than €1,000 per month.

“At the Splendid Hotel, the minimum salary is €300. With bonuses for night shifts, the lowest-paid workers earn around €400–450. But as an employer, my costs are much higher, because I also have to pay taxes on salaries, and provide housing and meals,” he said.

The highest-paid workers in their hotel are chefs. For example, the head chef earns €2,000 per month during the season, Radulović added.

Seasonal Work on Farms

Montenegrin farms traditionally attract a large number of seasonal workers. Currently, 624 seasonal workers are employed on farms, 254 of whom are foreigners. In the same period in 2020, there were 531 Montenegrin seasonal farm workers and 162 foreigners. In 2019, the numbers were 460 Montenegrins and 428 foreigners.

Most foreign workers in agriculture come from Serbia, Bosnia, and Macedonia. As for wages, they are usually based on daily output, making exact earnings difficult to determine. Employers report that seasonal farm workers typically earn around €20–25 per day.