In Serbia, employment may be established with a person who is at least 15 years old. For individuals under 18, employment requires the written consent of a parent, adoptive parent, or guardian, and is permitted only if the work does not endanger their health, morals, or education, and is not prohibited by law.

In recent years, particularly since 2016, youth employment and entrepreneurship have gained significant public attention. With youth unemployment remaining high, various top-level measures have been introduced and are regularly updated to address unemployment and help mitigate brain drain.

The year of 2016 was the Year of Entrepreneurship in Serbia (Godina preduzetništva), which turned into the Decade of Entrepreneurship (Decenija preduzetništva). Different promotional activities, workshops, competitions took place in that period and raised awareness about youth entrepreneurship and self-employment.

Different public authorities are responsible for youth employment and entrepreneurship in Serbia:

• Ministry of Labоr, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (Ministarstvo za rad, zapošljavanje, boračka i socijalna prava) 
• Ministry of Tourism and Youth (Ministarstvo turizma i omladine),
• Ministry of Education (Ministarstvo prosvete)
• Ministry of Economy (Ministarstvo privrede)
• National Employment Service (Nacionalna služba za zapošljavanje)
• Development Fund of the Republic of Serbia (Fond za razvoj Republike Srbije)
• Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Privredna komora Srbije)
• Development Agency of Serbia (Razvojna agencija Srbije), etc.