Labour market overview, situation as of 30 November 2024



As of 30 November 2024, 321 912 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed decreased by 1 231or 0.38%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 190 787 or 59.27% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, the unemployment level in BiH decreased by 22 754 or 6.60%. 

Unemployment level fell by 555 (0.22%) in the FBiH, by 639 (1.16%) in RS, and by 37 persons (0.31%) in the BD BiH.

The structure of job seekers as of 30 November 2024 is as follows:

Unskilled workers: 94 181 or 29.26%, comprising 37 489 (28.59%) men and 56 692 (29.71%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 4 488 or 1.39%, comprising 2 102 (1.60%) men and 2 386 (1.25%) women

Skilled workers: 100 470 or 31.21%, comprising 51 002 (38.90%) men and 49 486 (25.93%) women

Highly skilled workers: 712 or 0.22%, comprising 547 (0.42%) men and 165 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 91 577 or 28.45%, comprising 30 994 (23.64%) men and 60 583 (31.75%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 961 or 1.54%, comprising 1 669 (1.27%) men and 3 292 (1.73%) women

University degree: 25 523 or 7.93%, comprising 7 322 (5.58%) men and 18 201 (9.54%) women

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 11 028 were newly added to the register in November 2024, of whom 5 806 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 12 331, of whom 6 433 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 7 578 or 61.45% were placed in jobs, of whom 4 183 or 55.20% were women.  

In November 2024, employers reported 1 745 new vacancies to public employment services in BiH, of which 724 were for women, while the registered number of people whose employment was terminated during the reported period amounted to 8 177.  The registered number of women whose employment was terminated during the reporting period was 4 234 or 51.78%.

 

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of people in paid work in BiH amounted to 858 598 in October 2024, of whom 391 572 were women.  Compared to September 2024, the total number of people in work remained unchanged, while the number of women in paid work increased by 0.2%. 

 

According to the results of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the third quarter of 2024, the labour force in BiH (economically active population) comprised 1 427 000 people and the number of inactive people amounted to 1 449 000. 

The labour force included 1 254 000 people in employment and 173 000 unemployed people. The LFS unemployment rate was substantially lower than the administrative rate and it stood at 12.2% for the third quarter of 2024 at the level of BiH.

The number of people in work in the third quarter of 2024 increased by 2.5% compared to the second quarter, while the number of the unemployed decreased by 7.5%.

The unemployment rate in BiH stood at 12.2% in the third quarter of 2024 and it was lower compared to the second quarter of 2024 (13.3%) by 1.1 percentage points.  The LFS employment rate in the third quarter of 2024 stood at 43.6% and it increased by 1.1 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2024 (42.5%).

The youth (aged 15-24) unemployment rate in BiH stood at 31.4% in the third quarter of 2024 and compared to the second quarter (30.4%) it increased by 1.0 percentage point.