For several years now, the labor market in Serbia has been experiencing a shortage of certain personnel, primarily in trades. Thus, the previous year was marked on the one hand by a large workforce deficit, and on the other by the importation of workers from abroad in order to meet the needs of the labor market, at least to a lesser extent.
According to data from the Infostud employment center, in 2022 there were 13% more job vacancies than a year earlier, so the year ended with 76,247 job advertisements. However, in support of the story about the lack of manpower, the data also indicate that the number of candidates who were looking for employment was 2% lower compared to the previous year and amounted to 237,897. Also, the average number of applications is in a significant decline and in 2022 it is 47 per advertisement, while in 2021 it was 57.
The most sought-after areas in which there were the most opportunities for employment in the previous year were trade, sales, IT, mechanical engineering, administration and catering. Employers mostly advertised for salespeople, drivers, warehouse workers, administrative workers, and production workers. On the other hand, the wishes of the candidates did not differ much, and they mostly applied for the positions of salesperson, administrative worker, salesperson and telephone operator.
Deficit and imports
In addition to the well-known deficit that reigns in the IT sector for years, the previous year saw the deficit of craft occupations and the importation of workers from eastern countries come to the fore. Thus, according to Infostud’s data, the biggest deficit was expressed for the positions of storekeeper, waiter, cook, butcher, hygienist, but we also lack construction workers, drivers and craftsmen such as car mechanics and plumbers to a great extent. Employers who were looking for electrical engineers, graduated pharmacists, and legal trainees also encountered a shortage of personnel on the market.
When looking at all the ads, there is still a higher demand for workers with lower qualifications. As many as 61% of the ads were intended for those with secondary education, and as many as 4% for those with only primary education. Only 35% of the ads were offered to candidates with higher qualifications or a university degree.
Employers who were looking for new staff last year were more accessible in hiring students, so over 10,000 ads (14%) were available to all of them who are taking their first steps on the labor market.
Infostud’s analysis shows that more than 6,000 ads were accessible to people with disabilities, and among the jobs offered, the most opportunities were in the fields of IT, trade/sales, call centers, administration, marketing, logistics and mechanical engineering.
During the last year, there were the fewest candidates who were looking for a job without work experience, only 16%. As in previous years, the largest share of those who were looking for a job are candidates with 10 or more years of work experience, as much as 35 percent. A third of the candidates had up to 5 years of experience, and every fifth from 5 to 10 years.
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