Hiring Skilled Workers from the Western Balkans: The Complete Guide (2026)

Hiring skilled workers from the Western Balkans – in short

You hire skilled workers from the Western Balkans by searching candidate profiles from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania, posting a job, and messaging candidates across language barriers using built-in chat translation. With CandidateForce the entire self-service process runs on one platform.

For fully managed recruiting including visa coordination, the partner Balkan Recruiters handles the work for you.

This guide walks through which countries and professions you can hire from, how the process works, how self-service differs from managed recruiting, and what to keep in mind around language, visas and cost.

What does "skilled workers from the Western Balkans" mean?

The Western Balkans covers six countries with a large pool of skilled and semi-skilled trade workers who are open to relocating to Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Through CandidateForce you reach these candidates directly – whether or not they are currently visible on the local market.

For a full overview, see the skilled workers from the Western Balkans page.

Which roles can you hire?

The focus is on trade and technical roles where the DACH region faces an acute skills shortage:

• Welders
• Electricians
• Automotive technicians
• Truck drivers
• CNC specialists
• Production workers
• Construction workers
• Installers

Each role page shows typical qualifications and example profiles, so you can assess fit before the first contact.

How does hiring work? In 5 steps

1. Search candidates: Browse profiles and filter by profession, experience, language level and availability.
2. Post a job: Publish a job ad and receive applications directly in the platform.
3. Communicate: Message candidates in your own language – the built-in chat translation delivers your messages automatically.
4. Select: Manage applicants through a structured hiring pipeline and decide with a clear audit trail.
5. Onboarding & formalities: Handle contract, relocation and visa – yourself or with support (see below).

Self-service or managed recruiting?

There are two paths, and they can be combined:

• Self-service (CandidateForce): You run search, job posting and selection yourself in the platform. Full control, predictable cost.
• Managed recruiting (Balkan Recruiters): The partner handles sourcing, pre-selection, coordination and the visa process. You only review and decide.

If you want to start quickly on your own, begin with self-service. If you want to outsource the whole process, choose the managed model.

Visas and the legal framework

Western Balkans nationals have facilitated routes into the German labour market (for example, the so-called Western Balkans Regulation). The specific requirements, quotas and deadlines change over time and depend on the individual case. Check the current status with the responsible authorities (Federal Employment Agency, Federal Foreign Office), or have the visa process coordinated as part of managed recruiting.

Note: this is general orientation, not legal advice.

What does it cost?

CandidateForce offers a free way to get started plus paid plans with more reach and features. See the current overview on the Pricing page. Managed recruiting adds partner services, agreed separately.

Language barrier? Not an obstacle

Many qualified candidates don't (yet) speak German. With built-in chat translation you write in your language, your message is automatically translated into the candidate's language and sent – and replies come back in your language. That lets you qualify candidates before language courses or integration begin.

Hire by country

Want to recruit from a specific country? Go straight to the country pages:

• Workers from Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Workers from Serbia
• Workers from North Macedonia
• Workers from Montenegro
• Workers from Kosovo
• Workers from Albania

Frequently asked questions

Which countries do candidates come from?

From the Western Balkans: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania.

Can I search for candidates directly?

Yes. You browse profiles and filter by profession, experience, language level and availability to find suitable workers faster.

What if a candidate doesn't speak my language?

You enable chat translation. Your messages are sent automatically translated, and replies come back in your language.

Can you run the whole process for us?

CandidateForce is a self-service platform. The full recruiting process including visa coordination is handled by the partner Balkan Recruiters as a separate service.

Are candidates pre-screened?

Profiles include work experience, qualifications, language level, availability and willingness to relocate, so you can assess fit before making contact.

Conclusion

Hiring skilled workers from the Western Balkans is now structured and predictable: search candidates directly, post jobs, communicate across language barriers – self-service or fully managed. Explore the platform or compare the plans and start your candidate search today.