Thousands of Young People Leaving BiH: Work is More Valued Everywhere Than Here, Returning is Not an Option

The poor political and economic situation in BiH has forced a large number of people to seek employment and happiness in other countries, writes the Patria agency.

Among the tens of thousands who have decided to seek a better life far from their homeland, the majority are young people with university degrees who could not assert themselves in a corrupt society. Other countries have recognized their potential and offered them a chance they did not get in BiH. Today, many of them are successful in their jobs, have started their own families, and most of them do not even think about returning to BiH. Some will come for vacation, and some won't even do that.

Nadina Jabučar, a 25-year-old from Sarajevo, is one of those who found happiness abroad. This Master of Journalism now lives in Brno, Czech Republic, where she works for one of the world's largest companies, Lufthansa. She told the Patria news agency how and why she decided to leave BiH.

- I completed my Master's degree in Classical Journalism in 2015 at the Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, with a GPA of 9. My boyfriend graduated in English Language at Burch University and is currently finishing his Master's degree. We are both young, speak two foreign languages (English and German), and we were offered an opportunity to work for Lufthansa Global Load Control.

The profession is unusual, and essentially it involves performing necessary calculations for aircraft safety in terms of load plans, passenger distribution, aircraft weight, and fuel quantity, and based on our calculations, world airports implement them in practice. So, we send documents that serve as instructions for ramp agents at airports on how to translate theory into practice. My friend, who is also from Sarajevo, recommended us, so thanks to our languages (you must know both), we got the job. It is also encouraging that neither my boyfriend nor I have ever lived in German-speaking countries, and we were given a chance with so-called "school" German – says Jabučar.

Nadina says that the living conditions for young and educated people in the Czech Republic are far better than in BiH.

- Czech standards were in line with the salary, meaning you can live well on it, and we also have many privileges due to Lufthansa. Many of our people work in this company, and they go on annual vacations to Bali, Cuba, Thailand, Japan, even though the standard in the Czech Republic is not comparable to that in Germany. Young people dream of a salary of 2,000 euros, without considering the overall standard. In Brno, you can live very well with a net salary of around 600-1,000 euros. My boyfriend and I decided to embark on this because we wanted new challenges and were aware that with BiH salaries, we wouldn't be able to afford much, and we didn't want to be dependent on our families and their financial assistance.

She adds that she hopes the situation in BiH will improve one day, but emphasizes that she is currently not considering returning to her homeland.

- I would like the situation in Sarajevo to improve, and naively, I think it will get better. I hope with all my heart that it will, but the numbers of young people leaving the country are devastating. Prices in the Czech Republic are quite similar to those in Bosnia, but it is sad that the salary differences are drastic.

We are not planning to return in the near future. Working for Lufthansa opens up numerous opportunities in the job market, and we believe it will help us in our career development. Even if we decide to leave Brno, it will certainly be for a better option, not out of nostalgia. In general, the Czech Republic is Europe's fastest-growing economy with the lowest unemployment rate. It is full of incentives for young people to have children, to pursue careers, and the crime rate in Brno is negligible. You wouldn't believe how many of our people live and work here – stated Jabučar.

Nadina emphasized that talent and work in large and serious companies like Lufthansa are highly valued, and there is always room for advancement.

- Lufthansa GLC conducts three hiring cycles annually, so most of the people are from our region. And what delighted me was that my abilities were recognized right from the start, and I became the first agent to transition from training for small aircraft to training for large ones, and I am in the process of obtaining a license (which usually takes 5 months to a year). Essentially, what matters here is how you work, and based on that, you can advance, if not within the company, then somewhere else in the Czech Republic, especially if you speak German and have Lufthansa's name on your CV – Jabučar told NAP.

Elvina Kovačević from Konjic had a similar life path, deciding to leave her homeland and go to work in the USA. Elvina told Patria that injustice and the employers' attitude towards workers forced her to leave BiH.

- Right after finishing university and working for a long time in private companies for a minimum wage, I decided to leave. It simply came to a point in BiH where a person doesn't choose what to do, but just needs to earn. Surviving in BiH like other citizens, I experienced various insults from the owners of the companies where I worked, belittling, because they simply could. Late salaries, whether you are registered or not... Every day I read about many young people leaving, and in the end, I decided to leave too, because I could no longer mentally endure working for years and constantly being at a standstill – says Elvina.

After everything she experienced, Elvina Kovačević decided to leave BiH and go to work where, as she says, work is valued.

- I applied to the largest American company, Princess Cruises, which is a cruise line... I passed all the necessary entrance exams, obtained my visa and medical clearance, and left BiH without hesitation. My position is in the bar, and no matter what position you work in, and you really work a lot, you earn a lot. So, I work for a global company where people value and well-compensate your work. I am currently on vacation and do not plan to return, because this job allows me to travel the world and earn a good income, which I can only dream of in my BiH – stated Kovačević.

She says she has two more exams to graduate in Bosnian, English, and Literature, but she has no intention of doing so in BiH; instead, she will obtain her degree from a university abroad.

Why Nadina and Elvina left BiH, along with tens of thousands of other young people, and many are waiting in line to leave the country, is best exemplified by Bojana Petković from Gacko.

Bojana was a scholarship recipient of the "Dr. Milan Jelić" foundation, and with a GPA of 9.8, she was the student of the year at the Faculty of Philosophy in East Sarajevo. This Master of Philosophy from Gacko was promised a job at the Faculty of Philosophy in East Sarajevo after completing her studies, but that never happened.

Today, she works for a private agency, and her job is to write seminar and diploma papers for students of private universities in BiH.

- I never seriously considered leaving the country, although it is obvious that young and educated people do not have many opportunities for personal affirmation and self-improvement. I believe that the main problem of our country is the excessive influence of politics in all segments of society, nepotism, and corruption, which leads to intrusive mediocrities profiting in such a system, while educated people often remain on the margins. So, the desire of young people to go somewhere where their effort and knowledge will be more valued is, in a way, justified. However, I sincerely hope that things will change for the better in our country – Petković told NAP.

According to official data, 150,000 young people have left BiH since the war. The trend of emigration is constantly increasing.

Experts warn that BiH has been facing a declining birth rate for years. Along with the departure of a healthy and reproductive population, BiH could become a country of the elderly within the next decade. In addition to young people leaving BiH, entire families are now deciding to do the same.

The state has no strategy to stop this devastating trend. It seems that the sun of a foreign sky indeed shines brighter than the one in BiH.