The unemployment rate in Serbia currently stands at 9.1%, showing a steady decline over recent years, largely due to the country’s economic growth and development, said Milan Bosnić, director of the National Employment Service (NES).
Bosnić highlighted that the nature of available jobs has shifted from basic labor-intensive roles to positions involving design, development, and production of finished products, attracting both foreign and domestic investors. This shift has also led to an improvement in workers’ standards.
The most in-demand professions remain IT specialists, followed by engineers, lawyers, and skilled tradespeople such as carpenters, masons, ceramic workers, steel fixers, locksmiths, and welders. The high demand for skilled trades is partly due to a past wave of experienced workers emigrating for better pay abroad. However, a growing number of them are returning as salaries in Serbia improve and living costs remain lower.
Bosnić noted a shortage of young people pursuing vocational training in these trades, which has contributed to the labor gap. He stressed that these professions can offer earnings above the national average and better job choice.
On the other hand, professions with long job waiting times include administrators, cultural workers, accountants, and textile sewers.
To help those struggling to find employment, NES offers free training, retraining, and education programs designed to equip job seekers with skills in demand. The service also assists with CV writing and interview preparation. Some trainees even receive scholarships, provided they actively engage with these programs.
Currently, NES, alongside the Ministry of Labor, Employers’ Union, and Chamber of Commerce, is conducting a survey (2025–2027) to identify labor market needs regarding occupations, skills, and knowledge. The goal is to tailor employment policies, training, and support to better align with employer demands.
Bosnić emphasized a strategic shift in NES’s focus—from concentrating solely on the unemployed to engaging actively with employers. Since early 2025, NES representatives have visited over 70,000 employers to understand their staffing challenges and collaborate on training initiatives.
As of June, there were 344,788 registered unemployed persons, a 7% decrease from the previous year. The age distribution shows 17.7% under 30, 40.5% over 50, and 41.8% between 30 and 49 years.
A significant concern is the low educational level among the unemployed: approximately 117,000 have only basic or incomplete education, and 87,000 have less than three years of secondary school. Combined with low digital literacy, this group faces structural barriers to employment and tends to remain unemployed for over two years.
Regarding seasonal work, the most common jobs are fruit pickers (raspberries, blackberries, plums), agricultural laborers, vineyard workers, and farm staff (livestock and poultry). However, there is a seasonal shortage of hospitality workers such as waiters, cooks, and bartenders, as many seek higher pay at coastal resorts during peak seasons.
