Employers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), according to some estimates, currently lack 30.000 workers of various occupations, about 20.000 in the Federation of BiH (FBiH), and about 10.000 in the Republika Srpska (RS).
Adnan Smailbegovic, president of the FBiH Employers’ Association, said that work permits are issued at the state level and that so far a total of around 3.000 have been issued.
“I think that perhaps even more work permits for foreign workers have been issued in the RS because they have simplified and liberalized the issuing procedures in contrast to the FBiH, and many companies decide to open companies in the RS because of this, especially construction companies. In the FBiH, the procedures are very complex, they take a long time and it is really very difficult to complete the procedure. The workers mostly come from Turkey, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India,” explains Smailbegovic.
As he says, there is a need for workers, they are trying to talk to the authorities to speed up the procedures, but it is in the early stages.
“Some estimates say that there is a shortage of some 30.000 workers in various occupations at the BiH level. That is approximately 20.000 workers for the FBiH and about 10.000 workers for the RS,” he says.
Sasa Trivic, president of the Union of Employers Association of the RS, pointed out that so far there are 1.200 to 1.500 work permits for foreigners approved in the RS, and that he is not sure whether all of them have been used, that is, whether there are that many foreign workers in the RS.
“What is evident is that the arrival of workers from abroad to the RS is increasing. According to our estimates, the RS will need about 20.000 workers from abroad in the next three years,” Trivic emphasized.
According to him, there is currently no sector where labor is not needed, Biznis Info reports.
E.Dz.
