Funded by the
European Union
Search
Close this search box.

Women in the Labour Market in BiH: Only a third of newly employed people in 2020 are women

Only one-third of the total number of newly employed people in 2020 are women, based on the report "Women in the Labour Market in BiH" which the BiH Labour and Employment Agency presented today in Sarajevo. The report was done as part of a European Union-funded project supporting employment services for the improvement of active measures of employment and the development of employment strategies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for which the European Union has granted a 1.32 MEUR.  

Share Post:

(Sarajevo, November 11 2021) Only one-third of the total number of newly employed people in 2020 are women, based on the report “Women in the Labour Market in BiH” which the BiH Labour and Employment Agency presented today in Sarajevo. The report was done as part of a European Union-funded project supporting employment services for the improvement of active measures of employment and the development of employment strategies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for which the European Union has granted a 1.32 MEUR.  

Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still underrepresented and discriminated in many spheres, from politics to the labour market. This now appears even more important because research shows that, in addition to existing gender inequality, women are even more affected by the consequences of COVID-19. The EU continues offering support to labour market institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so that they may improve their capacities and make a shift in labour in line with EU standards, underlined Gianluca Vannini, Head of Operations of Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross Border Cooperation of the EU Delegation in BiH.

This report aims to present an overview of the situation regarding the challenges which employers faced in 2020. In total, more than 2,400 employers in Bosnia and Herzegovina were surveyed. The sample is dominated by small businesses with almost 80 percent, which best reflects the true state of the economy. Medium-sized enterprises make up 15, while large ones make up just over 5 percent.

“By analysing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market, one can say that the female workforce is significantly affected by the reduction in economic activity. The results of this study indicate the need to promote an innovative approach and attitude towards the female workforce through appropriate policies and the education system”, said Siniša Veselinović, Head of the Department for the Domestic Labor Market in the BiH Labor and Employment Agency.

The report presented that the most affected occupations during the pandemic among women were saleswomen, seamstresses and shoemakers, making up more than half of terminated contracts.

“This report will help policymakers, especially employment services, to address the challenges women face with active employment measures. For the first time,  research was carried out based on a unified methodology to create a detailed report on the labour market”, noted Dr Ranko Markuš

The “Improving Labour Market Research” project supports employment services in the advancement of active measures of employment, the improvement of cooperation with employers, the development of employment strategies, and it will especially help during the process of strategic planning and production of the employment framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is implemented in cooperation with NIRAS, GOPA and the Labour and Employment Service of the Republic of France from 1 September 2020 to 1 September 2022.

For more information about the EU project “Improving Labour Market Research”, click the link: https://trzisterada.ba/

# # # end # # #

Contact: Bejtovic Communications, Mirza Salković, +387 61 510 045

READ MORE

RELATED NEWS