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Expand your global workforce in Croatia

Your guide to the employment landscape, working customs and local labor laws in Croatia.

Capital

Zagreb

Currency

Croatian Kuna (HRK)

Languages

Croatian

GDP per Capita

$21,648.72

Employer Tax

16.5%

Payroll Frequency

Monthly

Talent overview

Croatia has proven its economic resilience as they maintain its high-income economic status. The country had an impressive economic comeback in the first 9 months of 2021, earning a total of 13.3 Billion euros. Their success was due to their tourism sector, which makes up 19.6% of  Croatia’s GDP.

Major economic hubs:

Zagreb, Split, Rijeka

Skills in demand:

Construction, manufacturing, Hospitality Sector, Healthcare, Administration, and IT services.

Top local universities in Croatia

Uni1 22

Sveucilište u Zagrebu (University of Zagreb)

Ranking

Local: 1

World: 582

Croatia Uni2

Sveucilište u Splitu (University of Split)

Ranking

Local: 2

World: 2022

Croatia Uni3

Sveucilište u Rijeci (University of Rijeka)

Ranking

Local: 3

World: 2059

Croatia Uni4

Sveucilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku (Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek)

Ranking

Local: 4

World: 2865

Croatia Uni5

Sveucilište u Zadru (University of Zadar)

Ranking

Local: 5

World: 3051

Top Local Job Boards

MojPosao ; posao.hr ; bika.net

Number of LinkedIn users

854,000

Top Recruitment Agencies

Selectio ; Profesio ; Dekra

Where to find talent

Top Local Job Boards:

Number of LinkedIn users:

Top Recruitment Agencies:

Salary Data

Below are the monthly average salaries in Croatia:

Job Title Average Monthly Salary (HRK) Average Monthly Salary (USD)
Financial Manager 29,900 4,398
General Manager 25,300 3,721
Business Development Manager 23,000 3,383
Financial Analyst 17,800 2,618
Business Analyst 18,700 2,751
Project Manager 15,700 2,309

Employ in Croatia

Employing in Croatia

When looking into the labor market in Croatia, the first step that employers must take is to be acquainted with the country’s employment laws and regulations. Below are some of the policies that Croatia observes for their local employees.

Employee Contract

Contracts for employees must be in writing and should contain the complete details of the employment. Preferably, employment contracts must be in the Croatian language. In some cases where contracts are bilingual, one of the languages used must be Croatian.

Probation Period

The Probation period for employees in Croatia is up to one month.

Public and Provincial Holidays

Date Name Type
1 Jan New Year’s Day National holiday
6 Jan Epiphany National holiday
31 Mar Easter Sunday National holiday
1 Apr Easter Monday National holiday
1 May Labor Day / May Day National holiday
30 May Corpus Christi National holiday
30 May Statehood Day National holiday
22 Jun Day of Anti Fascist Struggle National holiday
5 Aug Victory Day National holiday
15 Aug Assumption of Mary National holiday
1 Nov All Saints’ Day National holiday
18 Nov Remembrance Day National holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day National holiday
26 Dec St Stephen’s Day National holiday

Employee Leaves

Type of Leave Time Period Mandatory
Annual Leave 15 days Yes
Sick Leave 42 days Yes
Maternity Leave 98 days Yes

Leave Compliance

Payroll in Croatia

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Payroll cycle

Salaries in Croatia are paid monthly. The pay for the previous month must be released no later than the 15th day of the following month.

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Minimum wage

The minimum wage in Croatia is HRK 5,274.17 per month.

Tw Payroll Img3

Overtime pay

A full-time employee has to work a maximum of 42 hours per week in Croatia. The overtime rate is mandatory and can be stipulated by a collective bargaining agreement, employment agreement or decided by the employer.

How taxes work

Employer Payroll Tax

Type of Contribution Rate
Health Insurance 16.5%

Employee Payroll Tax

Type of Contribution Rate
Pillar 1 : Intergenerational Solidarity 15%
Pillar 2: Individual Capitalised Savings 5%

Employee Income Tax

Annual Income Bracket Rate
0 – 360,000 HRK 20%
360,000 HRK and over 30%

VAT

The Croatia sales tax rate is at 25%.

Bonus

13th Month Pay

A 13th-month pay is not statutory in Croatia

Employee Benefits

Employees in Croatia participate in the country’s pension scheme, while employers contribute to the government’s health insurance on their behalf. Moreover, employers may choose to offer supplementary benefits for their workers:

  • Unemployment benefits
  • Life Insurance
  • Accident Insurance

Employee offboarding

According to Croatia’s labor laws, termination of employment occurs in the following circumstances:

  • upon the death of the employee
  • upon expiry of the period of time covered by an employment contract for a definite period
  • when the employee reaches the age of 65 and has 20 years of service covered by pension insurance
  • upon the delivery of a valid decision on retirement due to work disability
  • under an agreement between the employee and the employer
  • by giving notice
  • by a decision of a competent court

Termination of any reason must be documented in writing by either party.

The Notice Period in Croatia varies depending on whether an employee is under probation or not. Generally, a notice period of 2 weeks is observed but probationary employees are given only up to 7 days.

Employees in Croatia are entitled to severance pay as long as their reason for termination is not due to misconduct. They will be paid for each year of service, and the amount shall be agreed upon by the employer, provided that it should not be less than the computation:

⅓  x average monthly salary (of 3 months before termination = Severance pay

Tw Visa Img

Visa and
immigration

Foreigners seeking to be employed in Croatia shall apply for a work and residence permit. However, European Union members may be exempted from these documents.

Employers will be responsible in applying for their employee’s work permits. Before doing so, they must reach out to the Croatian Employment Service for a labor market test. This is to justify the foreign nationals’ employment with a corporation against the country’s labor market.

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