Regionalprogramme Southeastern Europe
Unemployment in Southeastern Europe is a major issue especially for young people
After the breakdown of the state socialism in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990es, most companies had to go through a fundamental structural change. A lot of employees lost their job and trade unions lost their members through the new market orientation of their companies. International investments grew slower than expected, mainly due to the previous reforms and the hesitant democratisation process in Southeastern Europe. Unemployment in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegowina and Kosovo is accordingly high and ranges between 17% and 40%. The education systems in Southeastern Europe are insufficient for the challenges of the labour market. This complicates the transition from school to a profession and manifests in the challenge of the integration from young people into the labour market. Unemployment within young people is definitely higher than average, a lot of youngsters only manage to find an insecure job within the shadow economy that was formed during the transition phase and refuses to give workers even fundamental labour rights.
Successful governmental measures against the informal economy are sparse and trade unions are adverting to the deficits through information campaigns but can’t take any other measures. Generally improvements for workers are achieved where employer, government and trade unions are aspiring to a common solution. While in Serbia a social dialogue, assisted and supported by Solidar Switzerland , is now established on different administrative levels, such initiatives are not as advanced in Bosnia and haven’t been launched in Kosovo yet. Generally, young people are rarely integrated in the process of the social dialogue. The trade unions as the driving force of the social dialogue don’t give their youth sections the possibilities of participation which impairs their enthusiasm and ideas. On the occasion of a competition carried out by Solidar Switzerland at the end of 2009, themed ‘Youth and Work’, only youth organisations but no youth section of a trade union took part.
Initiatives of young people against their difficult situation on the labour market are in the centre of the Solidar Switzerland regional programme in Southeastern Europe. The programme started with a project competition in Autumn 2009. 5 projects out of each region (Bosnia and Herzegowina, Serbia, Kosovo) where chosen out of 30 in total. They were given professional advise and support with the elaboration of a 10 paged project proposal. On December 5, 2009, the award for the 6 best projects took place in Pristina. The 6 winners are since then financially and professionally supported by Solidar Switzerland . They intend to better integrate young potential employees (for example graduates) into the working world.
In 2010, the 6 organisations implemented their projects successfully with themes such as integration of unprivileged young people or career counselling. In 2011 and 2012 the projects will be further developed and settled into local institutions. To talk about their experience as well as to get professional inputs, the 6 organisations from Bosnia and Herzegowina, Serbia, Kosovo have regular meetings. On the occasion of a study trip at the end of 2011, they visited schools, governmental placement services and a job fair and gained an insight into the dual education system in Switzerland and the offers for Swiss jobseeking young people.
Cyrill Rogger is Solidar Switzerland's desk officer for Southeastern Europe.
