Although statistics show a large number of unemployed, the labor market in practice looks different – some people remain registered, while the economy is looking for workers it cannot find. The new unemployment map in Europe for 2026 has reopened the issue of the labor market in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While part of the region is making progress, the data for Bosnia and Herzegovina remain worrying. At the same time, there is more and more talk about the labor shortage and the importation of workers.
The unemployment map reopens the issue of economic inequalities in the Balkans. And while part of the region is catching up with the European average, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains among the countries with double-digit unemployment. Economists warn that the problem is not only in the lack of jobs, but also in the structure of the labor market, as well as in the significant share of the informal economy. There are more and more jobs that the local workforce does not want or for which there are no adequate conditions, he reports BHRT.
“We have several key challenges when it comes to the high unemployment rate. One of the most significant is definitely certain structural changes in the economy, namely the growth in demand for labor, specifically in transport, tourism and the manufacturing industry – which, unfortunately, we cannot adequately respond to due to the lack of domestic labor. Another very important item is a significant part of the informal economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, says Amila Pilav-Velić, professor at the UNSA Faculty of Economics.
Although statistics show a large number of unemployed, the labor market in practice is different – some people remain registered, while the economy is looking for workers it cannot find. In such circumstances, the employment of foreign workers becomes a necessary response to the lack of domestic labor. “Bosnia and Herzegovina is heavily burdened by the fact that we have over 315,000 unemployed people at the state level. The largest number of unemployed people on the record is due to certain privileges, i.e. rights in the field of health and social protection. Employers in Bosnia and Herzegovina employ foreign workers only if it is necessary for production processes and business maintenance,” Mario Nenadić, director of the FBiH Employers’ Association, points out.
Experts warn that without serious economic reforms, better working conditions and retention of the domestic workforce, Bosnia and Herzegovina will find it difficult to follow European trends.
