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Western Balkans
Hire skilled workers from the Western Balkans
Reach qualified candidates from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania. Search profiles, post your job and message candidates in their own language, all in one platform.
Platform
What you can do on the platform
Post jobs and collect applications
Manage the hiring pipeline
Message candidates directly
Message candidates in their language (auto-translated)
Schedule and run interviews
Track status from first contact to start
Roles
Roles employers hire across the region
WeldersAutomotive techniciansElectriciansC+E driversCNC operatorsConstructionProduction
In detail
Why employers recruit in the Western Balkans
The Western Balkans combines a strong industrial tradition with high work motivation: metalworking, construction, logistics and manufacturing have been part of vocational training in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and the neighbouring countries for decades. Many candidates bring years of hands-on experience, often complemented by German courses or previous work stays in the DACH region.
There is also a legal advantage: under the Western Balkans Regulation, employers can hire candidates from all six states of the region without formal recognition of qualifications. On CandidateForce you see registered candidates with complete profiles – profession, experience, language level and willingness to relocate – and contact them directly.
Qualifications
What to look for in candidates from the region
Experience and evidence
Check years of experience, employers and certificates in the profile – the more concrete the evidence, the more reliable your assessment.
Language level
Many candidates are actively learning German (A2–B1 is common). Chat translation helps at the start; on the job, the real level counts.
Availability and relocation
Look at readiness to start and family situation – both influence how quickly visa and arrival are realistic.
Registered on regional portals
Workers create their profiles on connected Western Balkan job portals, not scraped from elsewhere.
Complete profiles only
Candidates appear once their profile reaches the required completeness, so the data is usable.
Experience and qualifications
Work history, language level, driving licences and certificates are visible on each profile.
Process
How hiring from the Western Balkans works
- 1
Search or post a job
Search candidate profiles by profession, experience and language level – or publish a job ad and collect applications.
- 2
Contact and interview
Message candidates directly. Chat translation bridges language barriers, and you schedule interviews right from the platform.
- 3
Work permit and visa
After the offer you provide the employment contract and, if needed, pre-approval from the Federal Employment Agency; the candidate applies for the visa.
- 4
Arrival and first day
Once the visa is issued the candidate relocates. Plan a realistic 3–6 months from first contact to the first day of work.
Work permit
The Western Balkans Regulation: the simplest route to a work permit
The Western Balkans Regulation (§ 26 (2) BeschV) opens the German labour market to citizens of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania for any job – no formal recognition of qualifications required. What is needed is a concrete job offer and approval from the Federal Employment Agency; currently 50,000 approvals are available per year.
As the employer you provide the job offer and the employment contract; the candidate applies for the visa at the German embassy in their country. For professions with recognised qualifications, the skilled-worker visa or the EU Blue Card are alternatives. You can run the visa process yourself – or hand it over to our partner Balkan Recruiters.
See visa process supportFAQ
Common questions
Candidates come from Western Balkan markets such as Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania.
Managed recruitment
Talk to Balkan Recruiters Prefer not to recruit yourself?
Our partner Balkan Recruiters can handle sourcing, pre-selection and the visa process for you.
Start hiring from the Western Balkans.
Search candidates and post your job on CandidateForce, free to start.