The economic sector in the Zenica-Doboj canton records continuous growth, but at the same time faces the serious challenge of a lack of labor force. Although the needs of employers are increasing, there are a large number of people on the unemployment register. Only at the end of January of this year, there were 46,760 unemployed people on the records of the Employment Service of Zenica-Doboj Canton, of which 15,560 people were in Zenica.
According to the data of the Zenica Labor Bureau, various qualification structures are represented among the unemployed, but occupations with medium and lower levels of professional education dominate.
The head of the Zenica Labor Bureau, Saudin Burić, said that the largest number of unemployed refers to workers with secondary and lower vocational education.
“On the record, there are 1,050 persons with a higher and higher vocational education, 4,456 with a secondary vocational education of the fourth degree, while the most are persons with a third degree of vocational education – 6,424 of them. Also, there are 4,630 persons with lower qualifications or no qualifications. The most numerous are salesmen, cooks, waiters and drivers,” said Burić.
And while from month to month in this canton the records show almost the same figures of around 46 thousand unemployed people, the needs on the labor market are more and more pronounced in terms of the lack of labor force.
Minister of Economy of Zenica-Doboj Canton Samir Šibonjić (NES) pointed out that there is a disparity between supply and demand on the labor market.
“And in the Zenica-Doboj canton, as well as throughout the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have a paradox – a large number of people are looking for work, while at the same time a large number of employers are looking for workers. The greatest demand is for workers in the metal and processing industry, catering, trade and tourism. They are looking for qualified workers, craftsmen and a technically trained workforce,” Šibonjić said.
Businessmen believe that it is necessary to improve employment policies and working conditions. This, they say, would lead to the improvement of business, competitiveness on the market, and a greater number of jobs.
President of the Association of Businessmen of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, Nagib Mujkić, emphasized that the problem should be viewed in a broader context.
“Lack of labor is a pressing problem for businessmen throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it should not be viewed in isolation. It is more accurate to speak of a lack of qualified labor. It is a very important factor that directly affects our competitiveness on the market,” Mujkić pointed out.
In recent years, numerous projects have been carried out in this canton, including those through which the unemployed go through the process of retraining and professional training for occupations that are attractive to employers.
Minister Šibonjić emphasized that the priority is the employment of the local workforce, with additional investments in education and training.
“Recently, there is often talk about the need to import foreign labor, but I believe that we need to employ our own people. One of the projects we started three years ago is the establishment of IT centers and IT hubs throughout ZDK,” Šibonjić said.
With the additional measures of co-financing of employment and self-employment that have been current in recent years, by creating a safer environment for employers and a more responsible employment policy, the lists on the records of the labor bureau should be shorter. First of all, it is necessary to harmonize the educational process with the needs of the labor market.
