workforce

Serbia’s Labour Market Faces a Growing Gap Between Skills and Employer Demand

Serbia’s labour market is recording both relatively high employment and persistent shortages of workers with the skills required by employers, highlighting a mismatch between education, location and business demand. The employment rate stood at 50.7% in the first quarter of 2026, while youth unemployment reached 23.1%. Registered employment then declined by 14,163 people year over year in the second quarter, even as companies continued reporting difficulties recruiting workers in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, technology and skilled trades. The imbalance is not…