Despite the world crises, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) recently announced that it has opened more than 64.000 new jobs. This data is worthy of attention, with the remark that there would be more new jobs if the appeals and suggestions of local employers were listened to. Employment offices record hundreds of thousands of unemployed, in a country where the domestic workforce is constantly leaving, and we are talking a lot about the import of foreign workers. The solution is foreign investment, retraining, as well as the reform of jurisdiction when it comes to health insurance.
“There are a lot of unemployed people in our institutes who are not active job seekers, but are there only because of some benefits, mainly because of health insurance. This needs to be separated and we have already submitted a draft law to the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, i.e. some key things that should be changed in order to separate it,” says Adnan Smailbegovic, president of the FBiH Employers’ Association.
Until the issue of health insurance is removed from the jurisdiction of the Employment Office, as a benefit, the exact number of unemployed in the FBiH will be unknown, especially if we consider the constant departure of citizens to other countries, who are still duly registered as unemployed.
While we are talking about the departure of people, at the same time two pieces of data are very interesting. The first: 350.000 unemployed people were registered at the employment offices in the FBiH, while BiH employers lack 30.000 workers. That is why they are looking for workers from other countries. Recently, 500 work permits were approved.
“Last year, we initiated a change in the law on employment mediation and the law on foreigners. In that segment, the procedure has been accelerated and lasts about 60 days, however, the requirements in that segment point in the direction that we need to simplify the procedure even more,” points out Sasa Acic, director of the Union of Employers’ Associations of the RS.
“Very important in this context is the arrival of investors who will invest here in innovation, research, and supervision, make our economy complete, that is, enable us to make the products and services that we produce and later possibly export have that added value,” notes Hatidza Jahic, a professor at the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo.
While developed countries are creating programs to attract the workforce, our country is struggling to find and retain professional staff. Solutions obviously exist. An urgent reaction from competent institutions is expected. Until then, we will have unclear data not only on the number of unemployed people but also on those who have left the country, Akta reports.
E.Dz.
