EU4PEOPLE: Employment Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The project aims to accelerate Bosnia and Herzegovina’s employment, education, and social reforms as part of the country’s socio‑economic recovery. It will increase employment opportunities for youth, rural women, and individuals facing multiple barriers to employment by supporting their transition from education and inactivity into the labour market.
Duration
1 March 2026 - 31 August 2029
Budget
5,492,962 EUR
Development partner(s)
European Union
Reference
BIH/25/01/EUR
Contact
Daniela Zampini, ILO Senior Employment Specialist, Katarina Crnjanski Vlajčić, Technical Specialist, Social Inclusion and Public Employment Services and Amra Seleskovic, Project Manager through [email protected]
Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to face persistent structural challenges in its labour market, where employment and labour market participation rates remain significantly below EU averages. Many individuals—particularly youth (young NEETs), women in rural areas, persons with disabilities, social assistance beneficiaries, and young people leaving the care system—encounter systemic and longstanding barriers that limit their access to decent and sustainable jobs. Fragmented services, skills mismatches, and insufficiently targeted labour market measures further hamper their ability to integrate into the world of work.
To respond to these challenges, EU4PEOPLE seeks to modernize labour market actors and strengthen the design, delivery, and monitoring of active labour market programmes across the country. By introducing EU-aligned quality standards and evidence-based approaches, the project enhances the capacities of Public Employment Services (PES) and promotes more inclusive, efficient, and effective labour market measures.
At the heart of the project are seven Integrated Action Programmes (IAPs) that offer tailored employment support pathways for individuals facing labour market barriers, providing outreach, counselling, skills development, employer engagement, entrepreneurship support, and job placement. One IAP supports selected PES offices to pilot redesigned and modernised services for the long term unemployed, helping build institutional ownership and sustainability. These direct interventions funded through grant support schemes are complemented by technical assistance, capacity building, and strengthened coordination between employment and social protection institutions.
EU4PEOPLE will train 150 PES staff, introduce improvements to active labour market measures, deliver 10 technical assistance interventions for PES modernization, and support at least 1,000 individuals in completing tailored training programmes. The programme will help facilitate employment for 200 young graduates and 250 women and individuals facing complex barriers, including through entrepreneurship and business creation.
By combining systemic reform with direct support to those most excluded, EU4PEOPLE aims to improve employability, expand access to decent work, and contribute to a more inclusive, effective, and resilient labour market in Bosnia and Herzegovina.