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2026-07-29 08:28 UTC → 2026-07-31 12:03 UTC ·
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Western Balkans hiring gap deepens, incentives expand job fair announced
June 2026 public Public authorities in Croatia, Bosnia‑Herzegovina and Serbia listed continue to list dozens of vacancies while a disability‑fund programme created 334 jobs for people with disabilities. Bosnia‑Herzegovina broadened cash incentives for workers with at least 50 % impairment, allocating 20.3 million KM for new measures, even as firms such as Nova Natura, Mesna industrija Natura and mining‑manufacturing plants in Olovo cut workforces by roughly a quarter, eliminating about 260 jobs. A few days later, Croatia’s Požega region posted over 100 permanent construction‑related positions and Hrvatska pošta d.o.o. Mostar tendered 11 postal‑service roles. Bosnia‑Herzegovina’s Hercegovačko‑Neretvanska county recorded a record 6,662 long‑term unemployed, over 60 % women, while Prijedor district unemployment rose to 4,429 after mine and factory closures. By late July the Regional labour market showed an acute skilled‑worker shortage. markets remain strained. Of a 1.44 million labour force, roughly 850,000 were are employed and unemployment stood stands at 11.1 %. More than 300,000 job‑seekers remained remain registered while vacancies in construction, welding, electricity, driving, cooking, craft trades and medical occupations stayed stay largely unfilled. The gap is intensified by out‑migration Out‑migration of experienced workers, a slow domestic education response, bureaucratic hurdles to hiring abroad, and a rise in informal “necessity jobs” paid 12‑20 KM per hour, especially in Herzegovina. New developments reinforce these trends. Herzegovina, intensify the gap. Serbia’s finance ministry retained tax‑exemptions for employers hiring people with disabilities for three more years and kept profit‑tax breaks for firms providing training and rehabilitation. In Bosnia‑Herzegovina’s Tuzla Canton, additional funding spurred a public call that generated 111 new craft projects and interest from 31 firms to employ about 150 veterans, with expectations of creating over 300 jobs this year. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in Bosnia‑Herzegovina announced a national job fair, “Gledaj sebi posla,” scheduled for 3–4 September at the Hills Hotel in Sarajevo. Around 100 employers, cantonal employment services, the Federal Employment Agency, a rehabilitation fund for persons with disabilities, educational institutions and international organisations will meet the record 246,000 registered unemployed. Officials highlighted the paradox of abundant vacancies in deficit occupations while many listed job‑seekers are inactive, and called for a new Employment Mediation and Social Security Law to improve data targeting for training and re‑skilling programmes.