ILO, Serbia to promote Decent Work
BUDAPEST (ILO news) – A three year programme of cooperation between ILO and Serbian tripartite constituents was signed in Geneva, Switzerland during the International Labour Conference.
The programme, developed through a participatory process involving the Serbian Government, and nationally representative workers’ and employers’ organizations, centers on three key priorities. The first seeks to improve the governance of the labour market through the creation of appropriate legal and institutional environment enabling the full realization of social dialogue, including collective bargaining and the necessary conditions for decent and productive workplaces as well as the strengthening of workers’ and employers’ organizations. The ILO will also provide technical assistance to improve the implementation of international labour standards.
The second priority is to increase employment opportunities in Serbia. The ILO will deliver capacity building for more and better active labour market programmes targeting the most disadvantaged groups of the population, in particular young people. The ILO will support the continuation of the work on local self-government capacity building and activation of local employment councils which had begun in 2010. Further support will be provided to local self-governments and the social partners to enable them to develop local economic development strategies and plans for identification of local labour market needs and addressing employment market issues at the local level. Particular attention will be paid to improving the delivery of existing employment programmes to female jobseekers and workers.
By utilizing the existing ILO tools, the ILO will assist its partners to review, enhance and develop small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurship strategy with particular focus on women entrepreneurship and policies conducive for business growth based on evidence and full tripartite engagement. The ILO will work to assess and raise awareness on the employment potential of new green jobs and the scope for greening enterprises and jobs.
The third priority will focus on improving the sustainability and effectiveness of social security systems. The ILO will provide technical assistance for policy development and the drafting of new legislation on employment injury protection. The ILO will also support tripartite social dialogue on reforming social security systems, notably the pension system, through the analysis of recent pension reform experiences in new EU member states and the promotion of the Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202). Further technical assistance will be provided to tripartite partners to enhance their capacity to design part time employment policies that are in line with ILO standards and enable them to effectively implement the national occupational safety and health strategy. Finally, the ILO will strengthen the effectiveness of the labour inspection system to better promote decent working conditions though information, advice and law enforcement.
A major contribution to implement development agendas
The present country programme is informed by international development agendas such as the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2011-2015 − which is based on national development objectives − and the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union. It also takes account of Serbia’s key foreign policy driver of accession to the European Union with its recently-awarded Candidate Status, as well as the priorities expressed by the representatives of the Serbian government, workers’ and employers’ organizations during the consultation process leading to the formulation of this partnership agreement.
Key labour market indicators of Serbia
In 2012, the labour force participation rate of Serbia was 47.3 per cent (39.1 for women and 56.1 for men). The activity rate of youth aged 15 to 24 years old is among the lowest in South-Eastern Europe (30.2 per cent in October 2012).
In the period 2001-2008, employment growth remains negative, notwithstanding the high rates of economic growth recorded up to 2008. Since the onset of the crisis in mid-2008, employment declined sharply (from 44.4 per cent in 2008 to 35.5 per cent in 2012), especially for youth (from 21.0 per cent in 2008 to 14.7 per cent in October 2012).
A significant share of total employment in Serbia is in the informal economy (17 per cent of total employment). Informality is more pronounced among low educated individuals and young workers.
About one third of young workers are engaged in temporary work – 33.7 per cent.
In October 2012, the unemployment rate is 22.4 per cent with women unemployment rate only slightly higher than men’s. Unemployment is predominantly long-term, with 78.1 per cent of the unemployed being out of work for one year or more. In October 2012, the youth unemployment rate reached the level of 51.2 per cent.
Households headed by an unemployed person face a higher risk of being poor. However, the largest portion of the poor in Serbia (67.6 per cent) lives in households where at least one member is employed.
Source: Statistical Office of Serbia, Labour Force Survey, 2012 http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/repository/documents/00/00/96/02/SB_564_ARS_2012+sajt.pdf (retrieved on 20 June 2013)
For more information, please contact Mr Jovan Protic at protic@ilo.org or Tel: (+381 11) 361 6128
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