Muamer Bandić: Employment continues to increase and unemployment shrinks in 2018

A press conference of the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH was held today when Muamer Bandić, Director of the Agency, presented the labour market indicators for 2018 and the performance results of the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH in 2018. 

Director Bandić underlined that 2018 was a year of continuous decrease in unemployment and increase in employment.  Thus, the unemployment level in December stood at 435 266 which is the lowest figure since the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH began with these records, i.e. since 2005.  Compared to 2017, unemployment shrank by 39 818 persons or 8.4%. At the same time, the number of persons in employment in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period January-December 2018 increased compared with the same period in 2017, namely by 3.13% or 24 774 persons.  The number of persons in employment in Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 2018 stood at 817 375, which is the peak level ever recorded since the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH began to publish this data.

According to Director Bandić, the Labour Force Survey for 2018 has shown the same trend with the LFS unemployment rate of 18.4% being the lowest ever recorded. 2018 was also the year with the highest-ever number of job placements from PES register.  For the entire 2018 this number stood at 142 025.

When it comes to the result of the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH in providing job placement services, these activities proceeded in accordance with international employment agreements. A progress has been made in placing the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Republic of Slovenia.  In 2018, the Agency received 11 281 job advertisements from Slovenia, which is by 3 830 advertisements or 51.4% more compared to 2017: a total of 23 456 workers were demanded, which is by 6 977 workers or 42.34% more than in 2017 so that the total number of workers placed in jobs stood at 16 090. This means that the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH mediated in employment of 68.6% of the total Slovenian demand while the rest of job placements came from other countries of the region.  The said number of employed workers represents an increase of 6 167 work permits or 62.17% in comparison to 2017.  

At the same time, the Agency mediated in employment of 1 000 persons with nursing education and assisted 14 students in getting summer jobs in this country under the Summer Job Programme which enabled them to gain work experience, improve their German skills and earn money for further studies. 

Director Bandić stressed that positive trends in labour markets of BiH and other countries have also had impact on a decrease in the number of files handled under social security agreements.