In July 2025, it was announced that the company Leoni will close its plant in Malošište near Doljevac, leaving approximately 1,900 workers unemployed by the end of the year. The first 400 employees have already been laid off and received severance packages.
Severance is calculated as 50% of the “bruto 1” amount of the average monthly salary from the last three months for each full year of service at the company.
Several workers reported that pension contributions for the current year have not been paid, resulting in missing eight months of work record. The company officially deregistered employees on September 5, 2025, but the missing contributions remain unresolved.
The National Employment Service stated that they are assisting laid-off workers, noting about 300 job openings in Niš, 200 in Prokuplje, and opportunities in factories in Kruševac. Leoni cited financial losses as the reason for closing the plant, which will cease production entirely by the end of 2025.
This marks the second wave of layoffs in Niš, following earlier job losses from the introduction of ticket validators, the closure of a Benetton plant, and job cuts at Johnson Electric. Despite this, official employment data show only a slight decrease in unemployment in Niš, from 16,272 in January to 16,068 in July.
