WHAT'S NEXT IN SARAJEVO, TUZLA AND ZENICA-DOBOJ CANTONS: 344,855 PEOPLE EMPLOYED, MORE THAN HALF OF ALL EMPLOYEES IN FBiH

(Patria) - The number of employees by place of residence as of 31.12.2024 in the Federation of BiH is 551,452. This is data from the FBiH Tax Administration for the month of December.

The largest number of employees is in Sarajevo Canton with 151,143, followed by Tuzla Canton with 105,487, and third is Zenica-Doboj Canton with 88,225. Herzegovina-Neretva Canton follows with 56,948, and Central Bosnia Canton with 52,275 employees. The number of employees in KS, TK, and ZDK amounts to 344,855, which is more than half of all employees in FBiH.

It will be interesting to follow the data for January 2025, i.e., after the FBiH Government's decision on a minimum wage of 1,000 KM. The largest number of layoffs is expected precisely in these cantons.

Number of employees at the end of 2024 (source: FBiH Tax Administration)

The cantonal employment services will feel the greatest pressure, and the Sarajevo Canton Employment Service has 1,171 newly registered individuals in just the first 13 days of January.

Regarding the number of unemployed in Sarajevo Canton, the latest available data on the Employment Service website is for November 2024, when there were 48,196 people registered. For example, in January 2024, there were 50,871 unemployed people registered. Sarajevo had a tendency of decreasing unemployment, which could now stop, and the numbers could start to rise.

There are two possible reasons for the increase in unemployment. The first is the introduction of non-working Sundays in FBiH, which has been in effect since November 17. Layoffs were already recorded in December, especially in small shops, but also in larger shopping malls and supermarkets.

At the end of December, the decision on the minimum wage followed, and the real effects of that decision on employment will be seen in the first three months of 2025.

An increase in employee deregistration has already been recorded, and employers are still hoping for some solution, even though the decision came into effect on January 1st.