Conference on Regional Mobility and Youth Employment

The conference on Regional Mobility and Youth Employment, held on 22 November 2012, was hosted by the Labour and Employment Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Conference was attended by representatives of public employment services of Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Hungary and Turkey. It was said in the Conference that labour mobility in BiH was low and that the causes should be sought in insufficient level of economic development of the country, lack of interest of labour force in jobs outside of their place of residence, differences between entity laws on social insurance and lack of programmes which promote labour mobility. The following activities should be undertaken to encourage labour mobility: to strengthen the single economic space, equalize the social protection systems and unemployment entitlements, equalize the quality of education and labour market monitoring through curricula and equalize the levels of minimum wages and pensions. The Conference was opened by the Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ms. Denisa Sarajlić Maglić, who underlined that such events draw attention to unemployment issues which are often unjustifiably neglected. In the follow-up, the Director of the Labour and Employment Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Adnan Delić, addressed the gathering stressing the importance of involving all levels of authorities in the process of youth employment in all countries in order to offer youth the best job opportunities in the labour market. After the presentations held by the representatives of public employment services of the attending countries, the following recommendations were given: 1. to provide funds for public employment services to increase their scope of youth-targeted active employment policies; 2. to continue streamlining the services and activities of public employment services in order to approach the youth population; 3. to reform the education system in accordance with the labour market needs; 4. to provide youth with better access to labour market information in the country and abroad; 5. to improve cooperation in the field of negotiation of agreements on social insurance in order to create conditions for legal migration.