The information technology sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of those that is developing rapidly. Most of its income comes from abroad, which makes it one of the biggest economic potentials of our country. The IT sector employs about eight and a half thousand young educated people.
25-year-old Tarik Bučan is one of 70 young people who found his first job in the IT sector. He works as a product manager in the company Halkeps, where he manages the three largest applications and cooperates with users from all over the world through the online store. Like most young people, he thought about leaving the country after his studies. He is happy, he says, that like many others, he did not leave.
“During my studies it was always in the underworld, I finish college and run away from Bosnia. However, I saw that there are a large number of great employers in Bosnia and Herzegovina who have foreign salaries, and here you are. We work all over the world, we have over 150 thousand users of our applications. Clients that we can single out are Billie Eilish, Rihanna and other big companies”, Bucan says.
That knowledge is an asset is also confirmed by the story of 23-year-old Tarik Selimović. These young people reap the fruits of their previous volunteer work in AISEC, which taught them numerous organizational skills.
“I am currently completing a master’s degree at the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo in IT management. It is an easier solution to go outside and look for work and wages, but I also think that it is possible in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now I will receive four products, I have two of them, which are applications that I manage and work on them to be as good as possible for our clients.”, Selimovic explains.
According to the data available to Bit Alliance, an association that brings together the largest IT companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the IT sector in our country employs around 8,500 workers, and total revenues have reached one billion convertible marks. In the Sarajevo area alone, this industry employs more than 5,000 workers and is one of the strongest economic branches in Sarajevo Canton.
“I’m really grateful that I decided to stay and build myself here. I’m sure there will be opportunities and at some point I’ll want to go out and see some other cultures with the goal of bringing that here and contributing to the local community. I think you should to be an approach for young people who go out, to come back and give it to the community that has followed them throughout their lives.”, Semina Pljakic, associate at Bit Alliance, explains.
In the development strategy of the Federation of BiH for the period from 2021 to 2027, only the IT industry is designated as a strategic branch of the economy. A number of measures are planned for its development. One of them is the reform of tax policy and education from primary schools to higher education institutions. If these measures are implemented, the IT industry could employ an even greater number of workers and triple its income in a few years.
