Fewer than 600,000 unemployed in Serbia – Quickest way to employment in IT sector

Employers are no longer just considering diplomas when considering job candidates, but also the knowledge of foreign languages and information-communications skills. The National Employment Service is organizing training courses for those with low qualifications throughout Serbia. The unemployment has dropped to below 600,000.

The director of the National Employment Service, Zoran Martinovic, said that the unemployment had dropped to below 600,000. At the moment, 594,100 people are registered. The labor market needs cooks, welders, qualified caretakers of the elderly, medical nurses.

When it comes to those with higher education, finding a job is the easiest for electronic and electrical engineers, specialized medical doctors and math, physics and foreign language professors. Pharmacists and biochemists also find jobs easily.

Employers are looking for skills as well.

– Speaking a foreign language, English or German, is mandatory, as are information-communications skills, licenses and qualifying exams. When it comes to drivers, higher categories are in demand. People need to know that it is not enough to have formal education and that they need to perfect their skills constantly – Martinovic told RTS.

A third of the unemployed are unqualified or have low qualifications, Martinovic points out and adds that the budget for training has been increased.

– The training courses encompass the entire country and all our branch offices. Depending on the type, training takes three months to six months, when it comes to the more complex IT training.

Specialized training in the field of information-communications technologies is included for the first time. A public invitation will be placed these days, which will include up to 1,500 people.

– The time has come for employers to raise the employment criteria and offer better working conditions and better salaries. As things stand now in the labor market, employers are often unable to meet the needs for certain categories, so they must raise the quality of employment – Martinovic said.

When it comes to seasonal jobs, there's greater demand in the fields of agriculture, construction, hospitality, tourism, trade. Martinovic, however, points out that employment in the grey zone, which is dominant in agriculture, needs to be reduced.

The very fact that the number of the unemployed is dropping shows that there's a greater demand for all profiles.

– A year ago, we announced that the unemployment had dropped to below 700,000, in early 2012, there were nearly 800,000 unemployed people. The economic activity and the employment opportunities are greater now – Martinovic concluded.

Nacionalna služba za zapošljavanje Kragujevac

National Employment Service

Zoran Martinovic

number of unemployed people in Serbia

unemployment in Serbia

retraining for IT sector

cook

cooks

welder

welders

gerontology

medical nurses