Labour market overview, 31 March 2026

As of 31 March 2026, 314 280 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed was lower by 1 366 persons or 0.43%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 186 681 or 59.40% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, unemployment in BiH was lower by 9 953 persons or 3.07%. 

Unemployment decreased by 687 persons (0.27%) in the Federation of BiH and by 712 persons (1.43%) in Republika Srpska , while it increased by 33 persons (0.29%) in the Brčko District of BiH.

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

Unskilled workers: 90 658 or 28.85%, comprising 36 147 (28.3%) men and 54 511 (29.20%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 4 026 or 1.28%, comprising 1 902 (1.49%) men and 2 124 (1.14%) women

Skilled workers: 98 757 or 31.42%, comprising 49 824 (39.05%) men and 49 933 (26.21%) women

Highly skilled workers: 572 or 0.18%, comprising 405 (0.32%) men and 167 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 90 410 or 28.77%, comprising 30 616 (23.99%) men and 59 794 (32.03%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 818 or 1.53%, comprising 1 617 (1.27%) men and 3 201 (1.71%) women

University degree: 25 039 or 7.97%, comprising 7 088 (5.55%) men and 17 951 (9.62%) women.

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 10 748 were newly added to the register in March 2026, of whom 4 956 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 12 162, of whom 6 027 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 7 488 or 61.57% were placed in employment, of whom 3 714 or 49.60% were women.  

In March 2026, employers reported 3 353 new job vacancies to public employment services in BiH, of which 914 were for women. At the same time, the registered number of people whose employment terminated during the reported period amounted to 8 193.  The registered number of women whose employment terminated during the reporting period was 3 797 or 46.34%.

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of people in paid work in BiH in February 2026 amounted to 849 382, of whom 390 395 were women.  Compared to January 2026, the total number of people in work shrank by 0.1%, and the number of women in work increased by 0.1%.

According to the results of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the fourth quarter of 2025, the labour force in BiH (economically active population) comprised 1 443 000 people and the number of inactive people amounted to 1 430 000. 

The labour force comprised 1 282 000 people in work and 161 000 unemployed people. The LFS unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2025 was substantially lower than the administrative one and it stood at 11.1% at the level of BiH.

The number of people in work in the fourth quarter of 2025 was higher by 0.2% compared to the third quarter of 2025, while the number of the unemployed decreased by 0.6%.

The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter stood at 11.1% and it was lower by 0.1 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2025 (11.2%).  The LFS employment rate in the fourth quarter of 2025 stood at 44.6% and it was higher by 0.1 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2025 (44.5%).

The youth (aged 15-24) unemployment rate in BiH in the fourth quarter of 2025 was 27.9%, which is a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2025 (33.5%).