Employers and the unemployed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) eagerly awaited the passing of the Law on Mediation in Employment and Social Security of the Unemployed. However, delegates of the House of Peoples voted against its adoption or remained abstained. In an interview with Adnan Delic, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, we discussed this and other pressing issues.

Delic immediately noted that everything would be easier with this law, as employers are desperate for a workforce that is currently unavailable.

“Employers are reaching out to services and the Federal Employment Institute to provide them with labor, but the services lack active job seekers. Employers are resorting to the idea of introducing foreign labor, but it cannot be done if such professions exist within the services. We are in a stalemate. What remains for employers is to either close their businesses or not increase their production capacities, which affects GDP growth and the increase in the number of employees,” Delic emphasized.

EU priority

Delic dismissed the claims that individuals would be left without health insurance as a spin or falsehood, asserting that health insurance is a fundamental right of every citizen.

“Health insurance should be sought through the Health Insurance Institute. The Institute must take on this responsibility and administer it where it belongs,” Delic stated.

He reiterated that the most significant societal interest in FBiH is the amendment of this law. Why? Because people are leaving this country, he said.

“They leave because they want to resolve existential issues – like finding a job. We are disappearing due to both the declining birth rate and migration. This law has been targeted by the EU as a priority if we wish to join the EU. The essence is to clean up the records and see how many of these professions there are,” he added, noting that the education system is not aligned with the labor market.