The logistics belt around Zagreb — Jastrebarsko, Sveta Nedelja, Velika Gorica, Sesvete — and the Port of Rijeka run on shift labour that the domestic market no longer supplies. Warehouse roles are on the HZZ list in several counties, and Filipino operatives with forklift certificates and WMS experience from Gulf and Asian distribution centres fill them.
Croatian retail and e-commerce distribution, third-party logistics and port services have grown faster than their workforce; night shifts and weekend rotas are the vacancies HZZ cannot fill. Filipino warehouse workers come from the distribution centres of Dubai, Doha and Singapore and the logistics parks around Manila — forklift-certified, used to scanners and WMS discipline, and to twelve-hour rotations. English is the language of the warehouse floor in the Gulf and works in Croatian logistics parks where the software and the supervisors are international.
Forklift and reach-truck practical with load handling and stacking; a pick-and-pack exercise against a list with accuracy scored; a safety briefing and a numeracy check; interviews in English. Supervisory candidates are tested on shift planning and inventory reconciliation.
The route is Croatia's combined residence-and-work permit: you file one application online through the joint HZZ/MUP platform, HZZ runs the labour-market test unless the occupation is on its exemption list and gives its opinion on your eligibility, MUP decides within 90 days, and the permit runs for the contract period — up to three years, depending on the route. Before anything is filed we check the 2026 employer conditions — €100,000 turnover over the last twelve months, at least one Croatian or EEA employee for the previous year, Croatian/EEA staff at 20 % of third-country headcount (10 % for exempt occupations), no arrears, adequate accommodation.
Pay must be at least the statutory minimum — €1,050 gross a month in 2026 — or the extended sector collective agreement where one applies (construction, hospitality), and accommodation must meet the legal standard for the whole stay; we put both in the offer before the interview so nothing is renegotiated at the police counter.
Shift and night premiums are stated in the contract; accommodation near the logistics park is the usual model and must meet the legal standard. Permits run for up to three years; Croatian A1.1 at the first renewal is planned with the employer.
Recruitment runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024): your company is accredited at the Migrant Workers Office in Vienna, which has jurisdiction for Croatia, the job order is registered with the DMW, and every worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate. The Philippine ban on direct hiring applies; the employer is always your company, directly — the Croatian permit is issued to you, not to an agency.
Everything here is subject to the Foreigners Act as amended (NN 40/2025, NN 55/2026), the HZZ exemption list in force and MUP practice.
In several counties, yes; where it is not, HZZ runs the 15-day test, and referrals for night-shift warehouse work are rare. We confirm your county before you brief.
Philippine forklift NC II is retrained and certified to Croatian requirements on site in days; our test checks the skill before you interview.
On the list in several counties; we recruit for employers, not platforms, and the worker's employer must meet the 2026 conditions.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.