How to encourage the diaspora to return to Croatia?

Osijek

Due to a shortage of labour, European countries are striving to attract more workers from abroad.

Croatia is focusing on encouraging its own emigrants and their descendants to return through initiatives like “Biram Hrvatsku”.

As HRT reports, the Šibenik business incubator and some state institutions demonstrate how returnees can facilitate the adaptation of new arrivals and act as catalysts for further returns.

One of the first residents of the Šibenik business incubator is Antonio Meić, a returnee from Germany.

After ten years in Berlin, he decided to take a short break from living abroad, and Croatia became his ideal place to live. Meić highlights that Croatia offers better conditions for entrepreneurship, with equal EU support and a diverse intellectual community.

“My initial salary in Germany ten years ago was about 5,000 euros per month, and a 100-square-metre apartment in a beautiful part of Berlin cost 700 euros. That allowed for a good life. Now, rents exceed 3,000 euros, while salaries haven’t increased significantly,” Meić told HRT, noting that a salary of 7-8,000 euros now provides a mediocre lifestyle.

He also appreciates the quality of life, with a beach just nine minutes away and beautiful natural surroundings, which he finds incomparable to Berlin.

Demographics are a challenge across Europe, prompting member states to find ways to encourage their expatriates to return.

Measures range from substantial business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany to income tax exemptions in Italy. In 2022, the Croatian government introduced an active employment policy.

The “Biram Hrvatsku” initiative offers subsidies of up to €27,000 for Croatian returnees.

Between 2022 and 2024, 715 applications were received, with 471 approved, totalling €3.5 million in grants.

Ante Lončar, Director of the Croatian Employment Service, noted that after receiving up to €20,000 based on their business plans, returnees can access an additional €7,000 to assist with relocation to Croatia.

Maria Florencia Luchetti, who earned her doctorate in social sciences in Buenos Aires, fulfilled her dream of moving to Croatia by securing a position as a senior research associate at the Institute for Migration and Ethnicity.

Split

“I aim to help others now. That’s why we have the project ‘From Arrival to Staying’. We know the obstacles, and it’s not all perfect, but we also know how to overcome them. You need to be well-informed, prepare all documents, know where to go, and have plenty of patience. It’s not impossible,” said Luchetti.

Argentinian Croats are very adaptable, having survived inflation above 200%, though they face certain prejudices.

“The biggest prejudice is that Nepalese workers are considered better because they are quieter and less likely to complain. In Argentina, we have the saying ‘Ce no sora no mama’ – ‘He who does not cry does not get fed.’ You have to fight,” Luchetti added.

According to the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ), interest in employment in Croatia is skyrocketing.

“Now that Croatia is becoming an immigration country with a high demand for labour, we must ask if we have a selective migration policy and whom we want to attract,” said Marina Perić Kaselj, director of the Institute for Migration and Ethnicity.

Highly educated professionals are arriving with their families, impacting both the economy and demographics.

“Especially in sectors we lack, like healthcare, IT, and tourism. They are also willing to take lower-skilled jobs until they learn the language,” said Perić Kaselj.

However, while on scholarships at Croaticum, the popular Croatian language programme, they are not allowed to work.

Zagreb

The HZZ promotes learning Croatian through a voucher system, but employers must co-finance the programme, which not all are willing to do.

The newly established Ministry of Demography and Immigration has much work ahead, planning collaboration with all relevant institutions. As Kaselj concluded, “To have successful measures, we must understand our diaspora.”