“The time when we attracted investors with cheap labor and subsidies is slowly coming to an end.” It’s a moment to say – we are moving to another, higher level of investment, to attract investors who are ready to pay more and to make more forms of their products in our country”, assesses the president of ITM system Toplica Spasojević in an interview with Biznis.rs.
He explains that there are two reasons for the lack of manpower in our country.
“The first reason is emigration.” Part of the workforce that is ready to take risks, travel and leave their families – goes abroad and works there. It’s a standard process that happens and we have to be aware that people go where the wages are higher, where the working conditions are better and where they feel better. Another reason is that not all employers are ready to increase wages, and you have a part of the workforce that will not work for low wages because they have an additional source of income. So, if adequate wages were offered that could make a decent living, we would probably find many more workers,” says Spasojević.
After the mayor of Čačak, Milun Todorović, stated that the German investment – the company PWO SEE in the field of production of parts and equipment for motor vehicles – is the last one that will come to this city because there is no more labor on the labor market, the question of future investments in the country arose. What kind of investments will we attract in the future?
According to our interlocutor, the time has come when we should offer our educated staff instead of cheap labor.
“Some investors have understood and that is why we have serious investments in the field of IT.” We have to concentrate on high technologies, IT, the auto industry, but not on winding cables, but on making complex assemblies, then organic agriculture, and everything related to renewable energy sources. This is the future both in the world and in our country”, Toplica Spasojević points out.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Labor says that the labor market is constantly changing, and that “before we had a situation where a certain number of people went to work abroad, while now we are facing a labor shortage.”
“The lack of labor force is no longer only a consequence of going to work abroad, but also the fact that in the Republic of Serbia, large investment projects are increasingly being implemented that require additional labor engagement.” In this regard, the most sought-after profiles are certainly conditioned by the representation and development of certain sectoral activities”, the ministry told Biznis.rs.
Our workers, who, as things stand on the labor market, will be replaced by foreigners, and this process has been accelerated by the latest amendments to the law.
“The latest amendments to the Law on the Employment of Foreigners and the Law on Foreigners at the same time follow the accelerated development of the Republic of Serbia, so in accordance with that, the further simplification of the procedure that enables a foreigner to find employment in the Republic of Serbia, i.e. with the introduction of a single permit for residence and work, has been increased the effectiveness of this procedure so that employers, that is, foreigners, will obtain the necessary permit in a faster and simpler way”, stated the Ministry.
According to the data of the National Employment Service, last year 52,184 work permits were issued to foreign nationals, of which most of them came to work in Serbia from China, Russia, Turkey, India, Cuba, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Nepal and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Foreigners are most often employed in the field of construction, but also as auxiliary workers in various branches of the economy, as well as in service activities, catering and hotel management.
In addition, a large number of work permits were issued to IT experts from various areas of IT activity, the NES said earlier.
