Labour market overview, 31 July 2026

As of 31 July 2026, 309 531 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed was higher by 4 031 persons or 1.32%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 185 296 or 59.86% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, unemployment in BiH was lower by 15 440 persons or 3.56%. 

Unemployment decreased in the Brčko District of BiH by 88 persons (0.78%), while it increased in the Federation of BiH by 4 032 persons (1.64%) and in Republika Srpska by 87 persons (0.18%).

The structure of job seekers as of 31 June 2026 was as follows:

Unskilled workers: 88 060 or 28.45%, comprising 34 873 (28.07%) men and 53 187 (28.70%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 3 792 or 1.23%, comprising 1 789 (1.44%) men and 2 003 (1.08%) women

Skilled workers: 96 753 or 31.26%, comprising 48 544 (39.07%) men and 48 209 (26.02%) women

Highly skilled workers: 523 or 0.17%, comprising 357 (0.29%) men and 166 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 88 773 or 28.68%, comprising 30 006 (24.15%) men and 58 767 (31.72%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 776 or 1.54%, comprising 1 507 (1.21%) men and 3 269 (1.76%) women

University degree: 26 854 or 8.68%, comprising 7 159 (5.76%) men and 19 695 (10.63%) women

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 15 132 were newly added to the register in July 2026, of whom 8 475 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 11 147, of whom 5 384 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 5 848 or 52.46% were placed in employment, of whom 2 829 or 48.37% were women.  

In Junly 2026, employers reported 3 032 vacancies to public employment services in BiH, including 559 vacancies for women. During the same reporting period, 10 094 individuals were registered as having had their employment terminated, including 6 055 women or 59.99%.

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of employed persons in BiH in June 2026 amounted to 855 269, of whom 392 950 were women.  Compared to May 2026, the total number of employed persons increased by 0.2%, and the number of employed women also increased by 0.2%.

According to the results of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the first quarter of 2026, the labour force in BiH (economically active population) comprised 1 393 000 people and the number of inactive people amounted to 1 476 000. 

The labour force comprised 1 235 000 people in work and 159 000 unemployed people. The LFS unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2026 was substantially lower than the administrative one and it stood at 11.4% at the level of BiH.

The number of employed persons in the first quarter of 2026 was lower by 3.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, while the number of the unemployed decreased by 1.2%.

The unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2026 stood at 11.4% and it was higher by 0.3 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2025 (11.1%).  The LFS employment rate in the first quarter of 2026 stood at 43.0% and it was lower by 1.6 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2025 (44.6%).

The youth (aged 15-24) unemployment rate in BiH in the first quarter of 2026 was 30.1%, and it was higher by 2.2 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2025 (27.9%).