Conference on Education, Employment and Economy



The conference “Education, Employment and Economy: Labour Market in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Current State, Challenges, Outlooks and Solutions from the Perspective of Business Community” was held in Sarajevo today, organised jointly by the Labour and Employment Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Foreign Investors Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Conference was attended by more than one hundred different participants, including representatives of public employment services in BiH, employers’ associations, chambers of commerce, trade unions, relevant state, entity and cantonal ministries responsible for labour market, education or economy and more than forty entrepreneurs. 

The aim was to initiate public-private dialogue and create synergies between relevant partners - scientific and educational institutions with the business environment and the real sector concerning the labour market and labour force as crucial elements for investors when making their choice of the countries to invest or expand their businesses.  The conference addressed several issues, such as the need for hiring foreign workers, employment by temporary employment agencies, life-long learning, introduction of dual education and employment of students in the course of their studies.  The Conference focused, in particular, on the labour market of Bosnia and Herzegovina, global and regional trends, legislation governing labour and employment and harmonisation of regulations within the country, as well as the mismatch between the education system and labour market needs.

In his press statement, Director of the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH, Ivan Barbalić, said that the subject was very topical given the increasing employers’ demand for the import of foreign workers. “Today, we have the situation where, on the one hand, Bosnia and Herzegovina is emerging as a major exporter of labour, and on the other, there is a need to import foreign workers. Today’s presence of such a large number of entrepreneurs is the best proof of how much the conference was needed and how significant the problems faced by entrepreneurs in the labour market are”, said Barbalić.