The Western Balkans are becoming a destination for migrants who want to work and contribute to the economy, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) points out, noting that migration must be viewed in a much broader perspective.
– Generally speaking, when we talk about immigration in the Western Balkans, we always strive to change the narrative that has dominated so far, which positions the Western Balkans exclusively as a transit region for migrants on their way to Western Europe. Migration is not only a negative phenomenon, i.e. the illegal crossing of borders by those who do not have the right to do so, but it is also an opportunity for economic opportunities, growth, contribution to pension and social funds, and the progress of the entire society and economy, provided that migration is adequately managed, the IOM told Fena.
The IOM recently published a Labor Mobility Strategy for the Western Balkans, which is the result of more than 100 consultations across the region with employers, decision-makers, and migrant workers.
– The Strategy simply identifies the need for migrant workers due to demographic changes, labor shortages, skills mismatches with the labor market, but also the need for strong growth if the region wants to become part of the European Union. There is certainly a need for migrant workers and they are already present in the region. The Western Balkans is becoming a destination for those migrants who want to work and contribute to the economy, so migration must be viewed much more broadly. There has been an increase in the number of work permits issued since 2018, when around 40,000 permits were issued, but in 2023 and 2024 this number is more than 100,000, which shows that migrant workers are already a reality. The Strategy tries to emphasize that policymakers must understand the need to develop inclusive policies to reflect these new realities, a win-win combination for all parties, both for employees and employers, but also for states, IOM points out.
When discussing the increased number of work permits for foreign workers in BiH, they emphasized that the primary goal for the entire Western Balkans is to ensure that their citizens fill available jobs, that is, contribute to the economy.
– But at the same time, policies that enable greater inclusiveness of the workforce, beyond the domestic one, would not be enough and should be supplemented with foreign workers. These are mainly economic sectors where there is a really great need for labor, such as services, tourism, manufacturing, transport, construction… Primarily, these are jobs with lower qualifications or skills on the labor market, but also those where qualifications are required – they said.
They emphasize that it is necessary to have policies that will monitor the arrival of such migrants in the region, their inclusion in the economy, as well as access to services, in order to ultimately enable employers to fully realize the benefits of their stay in the country.
In a statement to Fena, the IOM also pointed out that at this point we cannot talk about the integration of migrants in the Western Balkans, but rather about the inclusion of those who come via regular routes.
A few days ago, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SSSBiH) expressed its concern about the signing of a protocol that facilitates the hiring of foreign workers, at a time when statistical data shows, as they stated, an increase in the number of unemployed.
