A deepening demographic crisis in Bulgaria and wage increases in the business sector have led to a shortage of professional military personnel, the Ministry of Defence told told the national news agency BTA. There were 1,984 job openings and 29 competitions to fill them in 2022. As of early 2023, 698 of the vacant positions have been filled and competitions are ongoing for 732 positions.

"The challenges faced by human resources management both nationally and in the Ministry of Defence in particular are determined by a number of factors, with those with the greatest impact being the demographic collapse in Bulgaria, the mobility of human resources and problems with recruitment and selection of personnel," the ministry explained.