The trade union federation insists that it is employers who prefer migrants-workers, who the SSSH says are ready to work for lower wages, under less favourable conditions and without joining trade unions and without complaining.
The proposed quota for 2017 stands at 7,026 work permits for foreigners.
Of that amount, 1,800 refer to the prolongation of the existing permits, and 5,211 are to be new permits in 40 occupations and professions in ten sectors.
The quota of 7,026 permits is three times lower than what has been demanded by employers, 23,707, however, it is twice as high as the quota in 2016, 3,100 permits.
In the same vein, the SMH-IS metalworkers' union has stated recently that the biggest problem of Croatian shipyards is lack of workers for contracts worth EUR 1.3 billion and that it is imperative to reduce the import of workers from neighbouring countries who are not skilled, while at the same time it would be better to increase salaries to motivate skilled Croatian workers abroad to return to domestic yards.
Union president Vedran Dragicevic told reporters in Split in mid-November that the workforce from neighbouring countries was unskilled and that this resulted "in a decline in product quality." He said Croatian shipyards employed about 5,000 workers and needed another 2,500, mainly ship-fitters, welders and pipefitters.
In late October, the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) called on the Ministry of Labour and Pension System and the government to urgently agree with social partners on work permits for foreigners to be approved for 2017.
"Every delay in adopting this decision has direct negative consequences on Croatia's economy because in addition to all the existing problems, it limits opportunities for growth," HUP warned on Thursday.
HUP notes that this year already numerous employers were faced with serious problems in finding workers, which meant that they could not complete already launched projects nor utilise the potential to launch new ones.
Even though the number of unemployed persons in Croatia is high, employers cannot find a sufficient number of workers with the skills and qualifications required and problems exist in several industries - construction, shipbuilding, tourism, transport, ICT, etc, HUP said.
HUP notes that the situation, where on the one hand there is a large number of the unemployed and on the other hand employers cannot find workers, is not unique to Croatia but a problem in the entire European Union.
In the EU there are 21.5 million unemployed, yet 40% of employers claim that they cannot find workers.
The SSSH trade union accuses the government of "double standards" as evident in the case of a shortage of physicians, which prompted the authorities to promise higher wages to retain those professionals in the country. On the other hand, no such promise has been made when it comes to a shortage of welders, masons or waiters, the trade union federation notes.