Labour market situation as of 30 June 2025



As of 30 June 2025, 316 927 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed increased by 1 433 persons or 0.45%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 188 457 or 59.46% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, the unemployment level in BiH decreased by 8 641 or 2.65%. 

The unemployment level decreased by 170 persons (0.23%) in the RS and by 67 persons (0.38%) in the BD BiH, while it increased by 1 670 persons (0.66%) in the FBiH.  

The structure of job seekers as of 30 June 2025 is as follows:

Unskilled workers: 92 196 or 29.09%, comprising 36 639 (28.52%) men and 55 557 (29.48%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 4 253 or 1.34%, comprising 1 990 (1.55%) men and 2 263 (1.20%) women

Skilled workers: 99 332 or 31.34%, comprising 50 218 (39.09%) men and 49 114 (26.06%) women

Highly skilled workers: 629 or 0.20%, comprising 467 (0.36%) men and 162 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 90 786 or 28.65%, comprising 30 549 (23.78%) men and 60 237 (31.96%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 720 or 1.49%, comprising 1 568 (1.22%) men and 3 152 (1.67%) women

University degree: 25 011 or 7.89%, comprising 7 039 (5.48%) men and 17 972 (9.54%) women

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 13 723 were newly added to the register in June 2025, of whom 6 952 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 12 360, of whom 6 264 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 7 930 or 64.16% were placed in jobs, of whom 4 130 or 52.08% were women.  

In June 2025, employers reported 2 023 new vacancies to public employment services in BiH, of which 574 were for women. At the same time, the registered number of people whose employment terminated during the reported period amounted to 7 897.  The registered number of women whose employment terminated during the reporting period was 4 283 or 50.65%.

 

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of people in paid work in BiH in May 2025 amounted to 856 998, of whom 392 497 were women.  Compared to April 2025, the total number of people in work has remained unchanged, while the number of women in paid work increased by 0.1%. 

 

According to the results of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the first quarter of 2025, the labour force in BiH (economically active population) comprised 1 413 000 people and the number of inactive people amounted to 1 463 000. 

The labour force included 1 235 000 people in work and 179 000 unemployed people. The LFS unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2025 was substantially lower than the administrative one and it stood at 12.6% at the level of BiH.

The number of people in work in the first quarter of 2025 dropped by 1.8% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, while the number of the unemployed increased by 7.8%.

The unemployment rate in the first quarter stood at 12.6% and it was higher compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (11.7%) by 0.9 percentage points.  The LFS employment rate in the first quarter of 2025 stood at 42.9% and it was lower by 0.8 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (43.7%).

The youth (aged 15-24) unemployment rate in BiH in the first quarter of 2025 was 30.2% which is a decrease of 1.0 percentage point compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (31.2%).