Labour market overview, 30 June 2026

As of 30 June 2026, 305 500 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed was higher by 165 persons or 0.05%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 182 192 or 59.64% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, unemployment in BiH was lower by 11 427 persons or 3.61%. 

Unemployment decreased by 335 persons (0.69%) in Republika Srpska, and by 31 persons (0.27%) in the Brčko District of BiH, while it increased by 531 persons (0.22%) in the Federation of BiH.

The structure of job seekers as of 30 June 2026 was as follows:

Unskilled workers: 88 358 or 28.92%, comprising 35 046 (28.42%) men and 53 312 (29.26%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 3 819 or 1.25%, comprising 1 812 (1.47%) men and 2 007 (1.10%) women

Skilled workers: 96 063 or 31.44%, comprising 48 239 (39.12%) men and 47 824 (26.25%) women

Highly skilled workers: 522 or 0.17%, comprising 361 (0.29%) men and 161 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 87 817 or 28.75%, comprising 29 563 (23.97%) men and 58 254 (31.97%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 510 or 1.48%, comprising 1 478 (1.20%) men and 3 032 (1.66%) women

University degree: 24 411 or 7.99%, comprising 6 809 (5.52%) men and 17 602 (9.66%) women

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 13 332 were newly added to the register in June 2026, of whom 6 695 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 13 215, of whom 6 740 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 7 198 or 54.47% were placed in employment, of whom 3 878 or 53.88% were women.  

In June 2026, employers reported 3 208 vacancies to public employment services in BiH, including 831 vacancies for women. During the same reporting period, 7 626 individuals were registered as having had their employment terminated, including 4 069 women or 53.36%.

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of employed persons in BiH in May 2026 amounted to 852 563, of whom 392 233 were women.  Compared to April 2026, the total number of employed persons increased by 0.1%, while the number of employed women 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%).