Labour market overview, 30 April 2026

As of 30 April 2026, 309 823 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed was lower by 4 457 persons or 1.42%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 184 363 or 59.51% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, unemployment in BiH was lower by 9 953 persons or 3.07%. 

Unemployment decreased by 4 180 persons (1.65%) in the Federation of BiH, by 185 persons (0.38%) in Republika Srpska and by 92 persons (0.80%) in the Brčko District of BiH.

The structure of job seekers as of 30 April 2026 was as follows:

Unskilled workers: 89 805 or 28.99%, comprising 35 723 (28.47%) men and 54 082 (29.33%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 3 952 or 1.28%, comprising 1 877 (1.80%) men and 2 075 (1.13%) women

Skilled workers: 97 181 or 31.37%, comprising 48 908 (38.98%) men and 48 273 (26.18%) women

Highly skilled workers: 557 or 0.18%, comprising 395 (0.31%) men and 162 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 88 853 or 28.68%, comprising 29 974 (23.89%) men and 58 879 (31.94%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 767 or 1.54%, comprising 1 568 (1.25%) men and 3 199 (1.74%) women

University degree: 24 708 or 7.97%, comprising 7 015 (5.59%) men and 17 693 (9.60%) women

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 10 525 were newly added to the register in April 2026, of whom 5 194 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 15 020, of whom 7 526 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 8 715 or 58.02% were placed in employment, of whom 4 485 or 51.46% were women.  

In April 2026, employers reported 3 046 new job vacancies to public employment services in BiH, of which 839 were for women. At the same time, the registered number of people whose employment terminated during the reported period amounted to 8 234.  The registered number of women whose employment terminated during the reporting period was 4 035 or 49.00%.

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of employed persons in BiH in March 2026 amounted to 849 837, of whom 390 650 were women.  Compared to February 2026, the total number of employed persons increased by 0.1%, while the number of employed women also increased by 0.1%.

According to the results of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the fourth quarter of 2025, the labour force in BiH (economically active population) comprised 1 443 000 people and the number of inactive people amounted to 1 430 000. 

The labour force comprised 1 282 000 people in work and 161 000 unemployed people. The LFS unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2025 was substantially lower than the administrative one and it stood at 11.1% at the level of BiH.

The number of employed persons in the fourth quarter of 2025 was higher by 0.2% compared to the third quarter of 2025, while the number of the unemployed decreased by 0.6%.

The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter stood at 11.1% and it was lower by 0.1 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2025 (11.2%).  The LFS employment rate in the fourth quarter of 2025 stood at 44.6% and it was higher by 0.1 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2025 (44.5%).

The youth (aged 15-24) unemployment rate in BiH in the fourth quarter of 2025 was 27.9%, and it was lower by 0.6 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2025 (33.5%).