Labour force survey was carried out for the 14th time in BiH in April 2019, in the sample of 10.789 households in BiH, wherein Federation BiH were 5.969 households, in Republika Srpska were 3.750 and in Brcko district BiH were 1.070 households. Interview was carried out with all individuals usually living in the selected households who accepted interview, BiH’s Agency for Statistics reported.
Nonresponse rate was 27,6%. In BiH, interview was accepted in 7.806 households. Data collected from these households relate to economic activity and other characteristics of target population.
The activity rate in 2019 was 42,1% and it remained the same in comparison to the rate in 2018. The activity rate was higher for men than for women. The activity rate for men was 51,7% and for women was 32,9%.
The inactivity rate in 2019 was 57,9% and it remained the same in comparison to the rate in 2018. The inactivity rate for men was 48,3% and for women was 67,1%.
The employment rate in LFS 2019 was 35,5%, while in the same period 2018 year that was 34,3%. The rate was higher for men than for women. The employment rate for men was 44,6% and for women was 26,7%.
The employment rate was by far the highest in the age group 25 to 49 years 60,7%.
The unemployment rate in 2019 was 15,7% (13,6% for men and 18,8% for women), and in the same period of 2018 the rate was 18,4% (17,2% for men and 20,3% for women). The unemployment rate was the highest among young persons aged 15 to 24 years. It was 33,8% (31,3% for men and 37,9% for women).
Data show that half of the working-age population in BiH (42,1%) were active persons, that is, persons who participate in the labor market as employed or unemployed.
The educational structure of persons in employment shows that the 68,0% persons have finished the secondary school, followed by persons who have finished the basic or lower education 16,1% and persons who graduated from college, university or have postgraduate degrees 16,0%.
The educational structure of unemployed persons shows that the 74,1% persons have finished the secondary school, followed by persons who finished the basic or lower education 14,2% and persons who have graduated from college, university or have postgraduate degrees 11,7%.
At the same time, data from the Labour Force Survey show that inactive persons older than 15 have lower educational structure. Amongst them, there are almost 51,4% of persons with basic or lower education, 43,2% with secondary school and remaining 5,4% have graduated from college, university or have a postgraduate degree.
The structure of persons in employment by status in employment shows persons in paid employment present by far the largest share 75,1%. The share of self-employed persons is 21,9%. The share of unpaid family workers was 3,0%.
The structure of persons in employment by sectors of activity shows that 50,3% of them worked in services, than in industry and construction 31,7% and 18,0% in agriculture, forestry and fishing.
In the observed period, 23,1% unemployed persons sought work for less than 12 months, but 75,7% unemployed persons sought work for 1 year or more, what is the result of economic situation and transitional period in our country after the war.
The structure in unemployment among persons with completed elementary school and less was approximately 14,1% and with secondary school 16,9%. The lowest unemployment was among persons with a university degree 12,0%.
