Serbia to cut unemployment below 10 pct, Minister says

Zoran Djordjevic added his Ministry would work together with National Employment Service (NSZ) to achieve the goal.

“We surpassed the last year’s plan for 15 percent, but, there is a lot more to do. We’ll try to enable more people to get job and more to change profession through retraining,” the Minister told reporters after signing an agreement with the NSZ.

Djordjevic added the labour market should be explored to precisely establish the professions most wanted in certain parts of the country.

The NSZ Director Zoran Martinovic said 10,000 people were expected to be a part of training, education and retraining in 2019 to increase the employment rate.

According to Martinovic, there were 552,000 registered unemployed people in Serbia, or 11.3 percent, last December, “the lowest unemployment rate ever.”

“But,” he added, “unfortunately, we have 33 percent of unqualified people or those with low qualification. Their education is necessary,” he said.

Martinovic added that 2019 budged allocated almost 38 million Euros for the active employment policy and that the European Union's funds would contribute with some 1.7 million Euros.