Even after 13 years of state, unemployment big problem in Kosovo

Unemployment remains nearly the same figures before declaring independence and after that. Researchers at the GAP Institute, Jeton Mehmeti, says institutions have not done enough, while even those who have had working relations have been violated of basic rights.

Kosovo's “is added nearly every year to over 25 thousand young people who enter the labour market. And on the other hand, the job creation rate is low and insufficient to accommodate all these needs”, he suggests.

In addition, it says that unemployment rates have increased further after the country's crackdown on pandemics. Even the few jobs that have been in Kosovo have been closed.

The three categories most affected by unemployment are women, youth and unemployed with diplomas.

In Kosovo, about 600 thousand women who are working age, according to ASS statistics turns out only 85 thousand are unemployed, or 14 percent. The second category that is highly affected is young people. Given the average age of Kosovo's population, this only becomes more problematic. About 46.9 per cent is unemployment among young people. In other 1\3 numbers of young people are neither working nor in schooling nor in training”, he points out.

Mehmeti lives from the GAP Institute adds that the third category, which is most affected, is the unemployed with diplomas. According to AKS data in 2020, there are 28,000 unemployed people with university schooling. And since 2012, that number has been about 14,000.

The privatisation process, according to the chairman of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Kosovo, Avni Aydin, has increased the rate of unemployment. It for Kosova Prees says the institutions responsible have not had concrete plans for creating new jobs.

Taking social issue based on “is grave enough. Taking on unemployed youth, it's hard enough. Taking on intellectuality, the brain of Kosovars, who always try to leave Kosovo for a better, dignified life or the future of their best children. It hasn't improved at all. It's just that he's been going gradually with the diagram down, not going up. Kosovo cannot progress through the tax collection of citizens”, he stresses for Kosova Preress.

Aydin adds that in the period of independence, competent authorities have, according to him, had no concrete plans for creating new jobs. Moreover, according to data from this labour union, the unemployment rate has been and remains above 40 per cent.

“Unemployment is not 30, unemployment is even greater. Why would I say that? Forty percent is also unemployment. I can prove it to you. It's not employment if I take three people here, and they stay and I work. But you have to find the job place for those workers and the state to make profit, and the one who works”, he adds.

On this issue, Kosova Press has also tried to receive answers from the Ministry of Labour and Social Management, but the same have not answered editorial questions.

And according to data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency in 2008, Kosovo's unemployment rate was 42.7 per cent. Meanwhile, there's no record of last year.

The 2009 unemployment storm was 40.7 percent, 56.4 female, 45.4 male. In 2010 and 2012 the unemployment rate was 28.1 percent, the female gender rate 40, and the male was 30.9 percent. In 2013, 26,9 percent, 38.8 female gender, 30 male gender”, says the response of the Kosovo Statistics Agency.

The new government requires implementation of the Labour Law and programs that stimulate new jobs.