Russia: Redžo Effendgo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ilda Kurti, Albania; Adnita Pacolli, Kosovo
"Even though there is unemployment in Kosovo, I think that doctors, lawyers, architects would not be without work. But wages are very low; most of the doctors in Kosovo also work privately [as a second job] to make an above-average living, because the salary from the state is not enough,"- said Genista, 20 years old from Kosovo, who is now studying bio-chemistry at the University of Tetova, and who wants to transfer to the medical school at the same university.
Genista lives in an apartment with five other roommates in Tetovo, so we waited until she found a quieter room. It is the beginning of the academic year and she is far from her hometown - Ferizaj in Kosovo. Leaving her family, friends and hometown to follow her dream was not easy. Just like those who leave their country due to the lack of jobs, she is leaving her hometown in search of a better education and thus to improve her chances of finding a decent job.
"Honestly, if I didn't study to be a doctor, I would have gone abroad, somewhere in Europe, to study something else, to work and have a better life. I would not have stayed in Kosovo,"- says Genista.
According to ASK, the Kosovo Agency for Statistics, in 2013, youth unemployment in Kosovo reached 31.0%.
Things have not improved. Only last year, youth unemployment reached 30.5%. One might think that this is also a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the situation was even worse in 2019, where the youth unemployment rate in Kosovo reached 34.7%.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has faced many political problems for years and another crisis does not help at all.
Erol Handžar, a young journalist from Sarajevo, said that the political situation has worsened over the years, it's not that everything happened in one day. According to Handžar, citizens fall prey to the empty promises of politicians, who use words such as, "prosperity and progress, only during campaigns; serenading us to a better life. In the end, citizens will try to get plane tickets to some promised better place because the situation is not going to get better in any way."
The last drop that filled the cup was when the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina were fed the story that a "potential conflict" could happen.
Dog decision of Valentin Inzko, as the former High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for imposing a law prohibiting genocide denial and making it a crime punishable by law. Much tension was created when Milorad Dodik, a member of the Presidency representing ethnic Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, used this as one more reason to block the functionality of state institutions.
Due to the unstable political situation, the young generation in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be even more likely to leave the country.
What does the future hold for young professionals?
Unemployment rates are causing problems in the Western Balkans because the future of young people is uncertain. Jobs are scarce and the general lack of economic standards and financial security is increasingly pushing young people away.
According to a study led by professor of macroeconomics at the School of Science and Technology (SSST) in Sarajevo, Faruk Hadžić, “Germany expects a 37% drop in its labor force in the next 10 years, or 16 million workers, and no doubt this fact will have an impact on the Western Balkan countries as major exporters of jobs.".
The Western Balkans have had problems with unemployment for years. According to BHAS, Statistics Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the percentage of unemployed people in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2019 was 15.7%.
In Albania, the highest percentage of unemployed youth was recorded in 2010, when 31.5% of youth were unemployed. Many students blame the education system and the lack of internship culture in Albania for this current situation, demanding that a way be found to include internships as a real part of the curriculum, and not just as a formality.
"The main reason for youth unemployment is the fact that students rarely get practical experience during university studies, and the work practices that usually take place as part of the curriculum are more of a formality than a good experience for students' professional development. As a result, most students are not ready to enter the job market because most of these jobs require experience,"-said Gevio Tabaku, representative of National Student Board.
According to INSTAT, Institute of Statistics of Albania, in 2019 the percentage of unemployed youth reached 26.6%. Although there has been a slight decline over the last decade, the unemployment rate remains high.
Practical solution?
Djellza Kryeziu, 27 years old, who left for Germany this January, said she does not believe she would have stayed, "at least not in Kosovo that is now."
When she first moved to Germany, she worked as a nanny, but soon after started an internship program or Academic background. It is a unique study program that includes learning, work and payment, a program that unfortunately does not have an equivalent in any of the countries of the Western Balkans.
"In state institutions, in 99% of cases, people are hired by friends and relatives, taking the place of someone who has studied and is better at that job, but who does not know the 'right people,'"- Kryeziu said.
More than 11.5 million euros have been allocated by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in Kosovo in the Youth Strategy 2019-2023, with the aim of improving the situation of young people aged 15-24.
Osman Gashi, Director of Communication at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, said that the Ministry has started the program for practical work for students of the University of Pristina "Hasan Prishtina".
"During 2021, MKRS has developed several programs to promote the employment of young people: Training programs for entrepreneurship and business skills; Grant program to support young entrepreneurs; The entrepreneurship program for students of the University of Pristina "Hasan Prishtina" and the Program for Economic Recovery. The financial value is about 1,400,000.00 euros,"- he writes.
When asked about the results of these programs, we received no response.
At the EU level, there has been continuous cooperation with local authorities towards improving the education system in all countries aspiring to join the EU and the conclusions from Riga aim to improve education and vocational training, a policy that will be executed throughout the period 2021-2030.
Also, from mid-September 2020, the European Union has financed the project "Education for employment," as part of the Pre-Accession Assistance Instrument. The overall goal is to develop human resources in accordance with the needs of the labor market, "increasing the importance of education for the labor market through career development and quality in higher education, as well as improving the capacity of human resources in all levels of education".
Since October 22, 2021, Albania has invested almost half a billion euros [ALL 51,540,000,000] by ADOPTED The new National Education Strategy 2021-2026, which aims to connect the higher education system with the needs of the labor market.
In addition, three have been implemented Previous national strategies for employment and skills: 2019-2022; 2017-2021; 2014-2018. However, when we asked the Ministry of Education of Albania about the results of the previous strategies, they did not receive an answer either about the results achieved or about the costs. We have only received information about the National Internship Program, which has hired recent graduates in public administration for a period of 3 months, "and up to 200 of the best are offered a 1-year contract." This practice was implemented in the period 2017-2021.
"Because of unemployment, the youth of the Western Balkans have been left without hope," - said the Devil.
Decades of corruption, nepotism and bad policies have left the job market in the Western Balkans without opportunities for young people. The governments of the Western Balkan countries must start working actively towards improving the situation of the young generation, otherwise they are at high risk of a "constant brain drain" while the rest of the working population is aging. .
This story was developed through the Media for All programme, funded by the UK Government. The content and views expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors.
