“The problem is prevalent across almost all industrial sectors – construction, metalworking, textiles, hospitality, chemicals, as reported by Forbes Serbia today.
Recently, the Republic Seismological Institute of Serbia lost its only graduate geophysicist, facing a lack of highly educated professionals like civil engineers, who are not easy to find, along with shortages in electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, graduate technologists, commercialists. There is also a shortage of storekeepers, waiters, cooks, butchers, hygienists, construction workers, drivers, and craftsmen.
Analyses from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) show that two-thirds of the industry’s workforce needs pertain to those with completed secondary education.
Mirjana Kovačević, Head of the Center for Education, Dual Education, and Educational Policies, as well as Director of the Business Academy at CCIS, stated that there are several reasons contributing to the lack of quality workforce.”
“Primarily, the fundamental reasons are demographic trends, the emigration of our citizens abroad, and the lack of interest among the population in performing certain jobs,” stated Kovačević to Forbes Serbia.
She emphasized that highly qualified personnel are more crucial for progress, not only for individual companies but also for the entire economy, compared to low-skilled workforces.
“The deficit in personnel is a common problem in many countries, and solutions for specific jobs will undoubtedly be sought through the increasing use of digitization and artificial intelligence. More qualified staff will better and more rapidly adapt to these advanced technological solutions,” added Kovačević.
Jelena Žarković, a professor at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade, highlighted that the crucial reform that the government should undertake must focus precisely on the field of education.
She recalled that in 2018, there was a sudden decline in student enrollments in faculties that educate teaching staff and added that the decline is even more significant now.
“We lack teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and that is extremely important for the country’s economy in the medium and long term. Who will educate our children in the future? Who will work in secondary and primary schools? This necessitates a focused reform of these teaching departments at universities,” emphasized Žarković.
She added that the issue of the shortage of highly educated personnel has arisen due to uneven regional distribution.
As an example, she mentioned that government representatives initially pointed out the idea for the company Continental to open a plant in Niš, but there wasn’t enough skilled workforce there, so they opted for Novi Sad.
“This is precisely the consequence of our internal migration, because in the poorest parts of Serbia, in the south and east, you mainly find lower-qualified personnel because highly educated individuals flock to larger cities, leaving those regions empty,” said Živković, adding that she sees a solution in a long-term strategy and planning, as well as collaboration between university centers and the industry.
She also pointed out the problem of overqualification, where it happens that some jobs are done by personnel with higher qualifications who are forced to work for less money in a field that isn’t their expertise.
Former President of the Union of Education Workers, Jasna Janković, assessed that the shortage of staff is due to decades of neglect of education and personnel, not only concerning wage levels but also working conditions.
Janković recalled that this year only one candidate applied for the physics teaching department, and for years there haven’t been enough chemistry and mathematics teachers.
“So now, in 40 percent of cases, mathematics is taught by someone who completed studies with mathematics as a subject, rather than someone with a degree from the Faculty of Science specializing in natural sciences and mathematics,” she said.
She added that in Belgrade, this problem is not felt as much as in Serbia’s interior precisely because more and more young people are moving to larger cities.
She mentioned that the IT field was introduced as a subject from the fifth grade without considering that there aren’t enough IT professionals available to teach.
“Why would someone who finishes that faculty work in a school for 70,000 or 80,000 dinars when they can work as a programmer for 250,000 dinars?” emphasized Janković, adding that it is clear that such a complex problem cannot be solved overnight but requires a long-term plan.
Dragoljub Rajić from the Business Support Network pointed out that a complete change in the education system is needed. He suggested that those who want to pursue lower-skilled jobs should start their internships at the end of elementary or at the beginning of high school.
Rajić added that Serbia’s model of economic development needs examination and that the country hasn’t created an environment for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises that should retain our people from leaving the country.
“We must have stable small and medium-sized enterprises that will provide them with stimulating conditions, rather than relying on the first foreign investor,” said Rajić to Forbes.
Sign up for business updates & specials
