SDP BiH joins Party of European Socialists campaign for youth employment

The Social Democratic Party of BiH (SDP BiH) and the Forum of Youth SDP BiH are joining the Party of European Socialists (PES) campaign "European Plan for Youth", which aims to promote the employment of young people across Europe.

This campaign, with its events and public gatherings, will be held across Europe, and this is the first time such a campaign, supported by PES and the European Parliament, is being held in BiH, with its central event taking place in Sarajevo on Friday, November 18.

- The only way to overcome the crisis of youth unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion across Europe is through sustainable investment in the skills and life chances of young people. That is why the fight for high-quality jobs and social protection is at the top of the agenda of European socialists and social democrats, which is the main reason for holding the European Plan for Youth – it was announced from SDP BiH.

SDP BiH, together with the Forum of Youth, has developed a public policy called "Work Experience for All", which proposes amendments to the Law on Volunteering and grants young people the right to work experience, a prerequisite for any form of employment, and in BiH, also a condition for passing state and professional exams.

- After the Labor Law was changed in FBiH, the Law on Volunteering was also changed, and accordingly, this public policy defined a period of six months for municipalities to accredit themselves for accepting volunteers, i.e., young people. In the first half of 2016, this Law was sent into parliamentary procedure, but it was not put on the agenda. Only after public pressure was it adopted in the FBiH Parliament. However, it needs to be adopted in the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament as well, in order to be realized. Unfortunately, the ruling coalition in BiH does not recognize this Law, and we are now awaiting a new session of the House of Peoples, where we expect answers as to why this Law, which benefits all young people in our country, was not adopted today – ask from SDP. This party reminds that youth employment programs and systemic solutions to unemployment are more than necessary in BiH.

More than 80,000 young people, mostly educated individuals, left BiH this year. The country is facing a brain drain, as young people leave BiH in search of jobs and education, and do not return, which is a major problem for the country. Around 78 percent of young people in BiH have no work experience, and according to the latest information, 60 percent of young people are unemployed.

- These are devastating facts, and that is why we want to persevere in our demands, such as our public policy "Work Experience for All", and thereby take the first step towards employing and retaining young people in BiH – said Lana Prlić, Vice-President of SDP BiH and Ambassador of the Plan for Youth for BiH, reports NAP.