Labour market overview, 31 August 2026

As of 31 August 2026, 311 107 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed was higher by 1 576 persons or 0.51%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 186 142 or 59.83% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, unemployment in BiH was lower by 11 014 persons or 3.42%. 

Unemployment decreased in Republika Srpska by 202 persons (0.42%) and in the Brčko District of BiH by 12 persons (0.11%), while it increased in the Federation of BiH by 1 790 persons (0.71%).

The structure of job seekers as of 31 August 2026 was as follows:

Unskilled workers: 87 758 or 28.21%, comprising 34 712 (27.78%) men and 53 046 (28.50%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 3 766 or 1.21%, comprising 1 780 (1.42%) men and 1 986 (1.07%) women

Skilled workers: 97 156 or 31.23%, comprising 48 888 (39.12%) men and 48 268 (25.93%) women

Highly skilled workers: 563 or 0.18%, comprising 393 (0.31%) men and 170 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 89 112 or 28.64%, comprising 30 289 (24.24%) men and 58 823 (31.60%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 812 or 1.55%, comprising 1 501 (1.20%) men and 3 311 (1.78%) women

University degree: 27 940 or 8.98%, comprising 7 402 (5.92%) men and 20 538 (11.03%) women

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 12 360 were newly added to the register in August 2026, of whom 6 358 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 10 840, of whom 5 545 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 5 860 or 54.04% were placed in employment, of whom 3 114 or 53.14% were women.  

In August 2026, employers reported 3 702 vacancies to public employment services in BiH, including 127 vacancies for women. During the same reporting period, 9 096 individuals were registered as having had their employment terminated, including 4 842 women or 53.23%.

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of employed persons in BiH in July 2026 amounted to 852 603, of whom 390 190 were women.  Compared to June 2026, the total number of employed persons decreased by 0.3%, while the number of employed women decreased by 0.7%.

According to the results of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the second quarter of 2026, the labour force in BiH (economically active population) comprised 1 392 000 people and the number of inactive people amounted to 1 477 000. 

The labour force comprised 1 223 000 people in work and 169 000 unemployed people. The LFS unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2026 was substantially lower than the administrative one and it stood at 12.2% at the level of BiH.

The number of employed persons in the second quarter of 2026 was lower by 1.0% compared to the first quarter of 2026, while the number of the unemployed increased by 6.3%.

The unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2026 stood at 12.2% and it was higher by 0.8 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2026 (11.4%).  The LFS employment rate in the second quarter of 2026 stood at 42.6% and it was lower by 0.4 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2026 (43.0%).

The youth (aged 15-24) unemployment rate in BiH in the second quarter of 2026 was 32.9%, and it was higher by 2.8 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2026 (30.1%).