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The Potential for Increasing Labour Mobility Exists in Border Areas and Tourism

 -  - The Potential for Increasing Labour Mobility Exists in Border Areas and Tourism

Labour mobility in the Western Balkans, and in Serbia in particular, is low. Data shows that there are no significant labour migrations in the job market; instead, migrations between countries in this part of Europe are primarily due to educational pursuits and family reasons.

The migration of the workforce from Serbia and the Western Balkans to developed countries in Europe, or more accurately, emigration due to a persistently negative migration balance, is a far more significant process taking place. This explains why it is quite challenging to create economic policy measures that would enhance labour mobility in the Western Balkans when the population has well-established routes for work-related emigration to Germany, Italy, Austria, and other developed countries.
Opportunities for greater labour mobility should be sought in the movement of people in border areas and the tourism sector.

Meetings with Media and Representatives of the Academic Community

To inform the media and representatives of the academic community about a year’s work analysing labour mobility towards Serbia, the Institute for Development and Innovation organised two meetings on the 24th and 25th of September 2024 with key stakeholders in the advocacy of economic policies. Journalists were briefed on the main conclusions of the analysis and trends predicted by researchers. This was also an opportunity to reflect on the previous six years of the Institute’s work on migration analysis in Serbia. Methodological explanations were provided, along with answers to questions about the number of emigrants from Serbia, which have caused public controversies. It was clarified that following the publication of the 2022 Census results, the scope for various interpretations of the number of emigrants has narrowed down, and that, on average, between 25,000 and 27,000 people have emigrated from Serbia annually from 2011 to 2022.

A potential solution for improving labour mobility within Serbia is the further development of railway transport.

Increasing Mobility within Serbia

A topic particularly raised during the working meeting with representatives of the academic community was labour mobility within Serbia. It is assumed that it is also low, attributed to conditions in the job market across regions and areas that do not compete for attracting labour. Researchers from the Institute for Development and Innovation also identify weak infrastructural connectivity as an additional reason for low mobility. This is evidenced by the increased labour mobility between Belgrade and Novi Sad following the establishment of the high-speed railway.

The Institute for Development and Innovation is currently implementing a project titled “Labour Mobility between Serbia and the Countries of the Western Balkans – How to Increase Mobility?”

 

Picture: Institute for Development and Innovation