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EACEA National Policies Platform
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

3. Employment & Entrepreneurship

3.3 Skills forecasting

Last update: 7 March 2024

The RS Government has included skills forecasting into its Employment Policy 2021-2027 (3.2.2.) 3.2.2. “Development of skills of unemployed people for active job search”. This measure refers to the financing and implementation of continuous support to the unemployed person in finding a job, i.e., his training to realize his capacities as efficiently as possible on the labour market.

Through the provided training, which is a basic part of the mentioned support, unemployed persons should acquire knowledge and skills relevant to job search, which will additionally positively affect their self-confidence and motivation. The method of realization of support to unemployed persons for active job search will be adapted to local circumstances and will take place through individual counselling, group trainings, job search clubs, entrepreneurship trainings and the like.

The aim is also to develop skills in using tools to search various sources of information on job vacancies and employers, to recognize volunteer work among young people, as well as information on non-formal education for faster inclusion in the labour process, as a way of entering the labour market, to continuously promote positive examples of good practice of service users, to conduct trainings on the basics of entrepreneurship for all target groups, and to motivate users to actively look for work through motivational seminars.

Special focus will be placed on improving the competencies of the unemployed and stimulating self-employment through entrepreneurship trainings, which are mainly implemented in job search clubs, established in some locations to prepare unemployed young people to best meet the demands of employers, enabling them to adopt basics more efficiently business communications, recognizing the importance of teamwork and group support in job search.

During 2020, 877 people used individual counselling, and the techniques of active job search and conversation with the employer were realized through 603 direct interviews and 676 written addresses. Entrepreneurship trainings were realized for 456 people, seven positive stories were published, 1,643 people used the services of the Club, and 115 people were employed, of which 65 were women.

The “Strategic Directions of Career Orientation Development in FBiH 2015 – 2020” includes among the most important conclusions and recommendations the following:

  • Establish career development centres at higher education institutions;
  • Enabling the development of centres for lifelong learning (LLL), enabling and deepening the professional knowledge, skills and ability to adapt the labour market programs, i.e., aligning adult education programs with labour market needs, monitoring the development of science and scientific achievements of the profession.

The FBiH Employment Policy (2023 - 2030) contains four strategic goals and several key outcomes to be pursued promoting full, productive and freely chosen employment, and one of them is:

  1. Increasing personal employability and improving skill alignment with market demands.

This goal has two quantitative goals: reducing the number of people with low qualifications for 10% and an increase in the number of people working jobs that suit their qualifications by 20%. Improving the situation on the labour market requires competitor companies that can create more quality jobs.

The BD Government in its general Development Policy contains the measure 2.1.2. Support for educational programs and lifelong learning (retraining/additional education) in accordance with labour market needs. The intention is education to employ persons who due to incomplete knowledge/qualifications cannot find an adequate job, and for those who were educated for occupations that are no longer in demand and do not have additional training for knowledge and skills with advancements in technical and technological development.

The measure implies (in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Employers) to define which are currently in short supply occupations, whether there are curricula with the same, and in cooperation with the Tripartite Advisory Council to request enrolment of students in these deficient occupations, and to introduce a scholarship model for students in these occupations.

Additionally, this way both employers and workers will have extra assurance that lifelong learning and adult education programs are flexible and adaptable to their needs, which will eventually increase the satisfaction of citizens with the educated opportunities of the District.