Labour market overview, 31 January 2026

As of 31 January 2026, 316 738 people were registered as unemployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Compared to a month earlier, the number of the unemployed was higher by 1 944 persons or 0.62%.  Of the total number of job seekers, 188 667 or 59.57% were women.  Compared to the same period a year earlier, unemployment in BiH was lower by 6 890 persons or 2.13%. 

Unemployment decreased by 105 persons (0.9%) in the Brčko District of BiH and increased in the Federation of BiH by 1 513 persons (0.64%) and in Republika Srpska by 436 persons (0.88%).  

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

Unskilled workers: 91 023 or 28.74%, comprising 36 276 (28.32%) men and 54 747 (29.02%) women

Semi-skilled workers/low educational background: 4 101 or 1.29%, comprising 1 930 (1.51%) men and 2 171 (1.15%) women

Skilled workers: 99 344 or 31.36%, comprising 50 042 (39.07%) men and 49 302 (26.13%) women

Highly skilled workers: 579 or 0.18%, comprising 416 (0.32%) men and 163 (0.09%) women

Secondary school qualifications: 91 031 or 28.74%, comprising 30 562 (23.86%) men and 60 469 (32.05%) women

Two-year post-secondary education: 4 862 or 1.54%, comprising 1 641 (1.28%) men and 3 221 (1.71%) women

University degree: 25 798 or 8.14%, comprising 7 204 (5.63%) men and 18 594 (9.86%) women

Within the total number of registered unemployed people, 13 076 were newly added to the register in January 2026, of whom 6 758 were women.  The total number of people who were deregistered amounted to 11 160, of whom 5 895 were women.  Of the total number of people who were deregistered, 5 874 or 52.63% were placed in jobs, of whom 3 318 or 56.49% were women.  

In January 2026, employers reported 2 281 new job vacancies to public employment services in BiH, of which 562 were for women. At the same time, the registered number of people whose employment terminated during the reported period amounted to 9 629.  The registered number of women whose employment terminated during the reporting period was 5 091 or 52.87%.

According to the BiH Agency for Statistics, the number of people in paid work in BiH in December 2025 amounted to 854 543, of whom 391 471 were women.  Compared to November 2025, the total number of people in work remained unchanged, while the number of women in work increased by 0.2%. 

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 people in work 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%, which is a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared to the third quarter of 2025 (33.5%).