Young people make up almost a fifth of the total population of Montenegro. Young people in Montenegro belong to the group defined by age criteria of 15-30 years.
The aforementioned definition is used in the Law on Youth and national and local youth policies.
According to the Social Protection Act, young people up to the age of 26 can be beneficiaries of various specific social services and material benefits.
The social inclusion of young people in Montenegro is regulated through a number of different strategic documents and policies that regulate the social and child protection policy in general, but also the policy of certain vulnerable categories (children, Roma and Egyptians, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, etc.)
The project "Social card - information system of social care (ISSS) represents the backbone of the reform process. It is an electronic system for processing, approving, paying (about 112 million euros per year), monitoring and auditing social benefits, transfers; reporting and business analytics and statistics. The system covers all jobs related to social welfare, including case management.

Main challenges to social inclusion

Research and assessment of local policies related to young people and the needs of young people in 15 local governments show that although the Local Plans for young people and the needs of young people include the findings of research on the needs of young people at the local level, young people in most municipalities are still not familiar with the legislative and strategic framework that relates to them, nor do they know the mechanisms available to them for involvement in decision-making. In addition, the experience of young people so far is mostly negative regarding participation in such activities, and the involvement is formal and usually does not result in the respect of young people's proposals

Insufficient information and somewhat lack of interest among young people have been identified, which indicates the need for significantly greater coverage of young people when creating strategic documents and plans concerning that target group. The lack of use of modern information distribution channels (social networks and applications) through which young people could be more effectively informed about policies, advice and various issues related to young people in various areas such as education, employment, cultural content, opportunities for business development, etc.) Lack of opportunities for developing one's own business, the quality of formal education offered, the lack of informal education, as well as the availability and quality of cultural, sports and other content for young people, are the reason for their dissatisfaction, which leads them to think about leaving the municipality and the state.

The fact that even 28.4% of surveyed young people wait more than a year for employment after completing formal education also indicates unemployment among young people. The largest number of young people who took more than a year to find a job are in the municipalities in the north
The largest number of young people in need: Pljevlja - 61.8%, Berane - 47.4% and Plužine - 40.7%.

The lack of highly qualified people strongly affects innovative companies. Research with employers by the World Bank shows that young workers lack soft skills, including language skills, initiative and leadership, critical thinking, but also robust technical knowledge. Because of this, even the transition from school to work is not effective, and on average for most young people it takes about two years until they move to a stable and satisfactory job. This represents a high social cost and an obstacle to growth, especially in areas that are key to economic development.

The analysis of supply, demand and employment on the labor market in Montenegro in 2022 shows that among young people aged 15-24, the activity rate increased from 37.3% to 40.7%, the employment rate also increased from 26% to 32.2%, and the unemployment rate decreased from 30.2% to 21%. 

Analysis of the youth unemployment rate in Montenegro shows that youth unemployment is one of the biggest problems today, affecting not only the individual but also the entire community.
The lower limit of youth is usually taken as 15 years of age, while the upper limit varies from 24 to 29 or 34 years of age. The problem of youth unemployment in Montenegro is mainly related to the part of the unemployed population between the ages of 15 and 30, according to the Youth Act, while Monstat uses the age group of 15 to 24 within the structure of the working age population.
Youth unemployment in Montenegro, as well as in other countries of the region and beyond, is a big problem. Young people face prolonged institutional education, inadequate and difficult employment, slow socio-economic independence, delayed family formation, weak involvement in social decision-making processes. In the last twenty years, the participation of the category of unemployed young people (aged 15-30) in the total unemployment ranged from about 23-46%, (in 2000 46%, 2017 - 27%, 2018 - 25%, 2019 - 23%, 2020 - 25% and 2021 - 24%).


https://www.zzzcg.me/strategije-planovi-analize-i-izvjestaji/

Violence against children and young people is still present in Montenegro. Research conducted by the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms. Violence against children is one of the key challenges when it comes to children in Montenegro - in 2013, more than two thirds (68%) of children in Montenegro aged 1 to 14 were exposed to psychological aggression in the family during the month preceding the survey in Montenegrin households, while 31% of children were exposed to corporal punishment. nju. The nationally representative survey of knowledge, attitudes and behavior (KAP) on violence against children in Montenegro, conducted at the end of 2017, confirmed the existence of a high level of tolerance towards violence against children.

So far, the social policy of Montenegro has been dominantly oriented towards marginalized social groups and the use of the so-called ad hoc social political measures aimed at alleviating social problems, rather than systematic and preventive action. The existing system of social protection does not sufficiently meet all the structural needs of vulnerable categories of the population (children, persons with disabilities, Roma and Egyptians, LGBTQ persons).
In addition, the system is not flexible and is not sufficiently adapted to modern needs. Social and child protection institutions do not have sufficient funds to implement activities in accordance with the standards. A centralized system of social protection entails the problem of the specificity of social issues at the local level.

In 2018, Montenegro had the lowest share of young people who do not work, are not in the education or training system (16.2%). However, it is estimated that this rate increased sharply in Montenegro to 26.6% in 2020 (European Commission 2021).

The allowance for material security is the only allowance from the field of social assistance) is the only allowance from the area of social assistance and which is directly intended for persons who have been judged to be poor. In addition, all beneficiaries of material security have the right to funeral expenses, kindergarten and food expenses, to textbooks, a holiday of up to 7 days per child and a subsidy for transportation expenses and young people with disabilities. Currently, the dominant share in expenditures for material benefits is provided by fees that support people with disabilities. 

The percentage of young people aged 15 to 29 who are neither employed nor in education or training in 2021 is the second highest recorded in the last 7 years (only 0.1 less than in 2020). This year, it is higher among boys than among girls (28.3 vs. 24.6).

As part of the ReLOaD2 initiative, research and evaluation of local policies related to youth and perceptions/needs of youth was conducted. The main goal of this research is the analysis of local policies related to young people as well as the needs of young people in 15 Montenegrin municipalities, with the aim of using the obtained results as a basis for the further development of effective local policies for young people.

Research Mapping policies for youth and determining existing support in funding actions for youth in the Western Balkans (WBYR2021) and challenges that need to be addressed include: coordination of activities at national and local level, improvement of indicator-based reporting practices and provision of competent social workers in youth services. Research and assessment of local policies related to youth and youth needs in 15 local governments show that young people often do not appreciate diversity, and that they have many prejudices against individuals with disabilities, those from a lower social status and similar categories of society. In addition to the identified discrimination of vulnerable categories of the population, such as young people with special needs, the identified problem refers to the attitude towards these people by institutions. 

In addition to the identified discrimination of vulnerable categories of the population, such as young people with disabilities and special needs, the identified problem refers to the attitude towards these people and by the institutions themselves. The research results show that special efforts should be made to accept diversity among young people in order to reduce the level of discrimination against vulnerable categories of persons with disabilities and members of minority groups (RE population, LGBTIQA+, NEET, young people from rural areas).

Discrimination among young people is a multidimensional problem and requires an integral approach. The migration of young people, from small communities to developed communities, represents an additional problem, because of which these communities face a lack of personnel, so it is necessary to work on improving the general environment. Young people first migrate for the purpose of obtaining higher education, and later for economic reasons.

A particularly vulnerable population in Montenegro is the population of Roma and Egyptians. The report cites the three most dominant problems as: the unavailability and non-networking of data related to Roma and Egyptians, the absence of effective mechanisms for the coordination of social integration policies of Roma and Egyptians at the local and national level, and the inadequate allocation of funds to finance issues of social integration of Roma and Egyptians.
When it comes to certain areas, the report emphasizes that the problems faced by this population are expressed in terms of: housing (non-conditionality of buildings and legal status of ownership); education (low level of enrollment in primary and especially secondary schools); health care (lack of information and unregulated status and consequently low level of exercising rights). Also, this population faces weak participation in the labor market (they usually have access to lower paid and seasonal jobs) and employment promotion programs as well as social services. The research showed that continuous direct support is necessary for the further integration of this population, and therefore the importance of improving the work of social inclusion associates and teaching assistants is especially emphasized.

Social protection in Montenegro - situational analysis

Situational analysis of the social protection system in Montenegro

Analysis of the state of the rights of children and adolescents in Montenegro

A particularly vulnerable population of young people in Montenegro is the population of Roma and Egyptians.
Analysis of legal and institutional mechanisms for the provision of social integration services for Roma and Egyptians (Roma Program – Acted 2019)

Improving the inclusion of children with disabilities and adults with disabilities

Persons with disabilities are discriminated against in multiple ways. The inaccessibility of public facilities and surfaces, the high level of unemployment, as well as the lack of social support and services as a prerequisite for independent living, shows that people with disabilities are the most socially vulnerable category. Young people with disabilities are not recognized as a special category, except through regulations and records of users of social and child protection services, and benefits based on social protection rights. Services in the field of social protection (personal assistance, help at home) are provided only by non-governmental organizations through the support of projects. Some services for young people with disabilities are not even recognized, such as help for parents with disabilities, etc.


In support of this, he also speaks:

Montenegrin alternative report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Montenegro

Concluding observations on the initial report of Montenegro CRPD/C/MNE/CO/1
https://www.gov.me/clanak/zakljucna-zapazanj