✦ Exclusive Research Report ✦
State of Hiring & Recruitment
in Bosnia & Herzegovina
in Bosnia & Herzegovina
Comprehensive Labour Market Intelligence Report — 2026 Edition
13.1%
Unemployment Rate
Q3 2025
Q3 2025
27.3%
Youth Unemployment
2024
2024
1.7M
Bosnians
Living Abroad
Living Abroad
1,605
Avg. Net Salary
BAM/Month
BAM/Month
Core Labour Market Indicators
11.2%
LFS Unemployment Rate, Q3 2025
Source: Agency for Statistics BiH / Sarajevo Times
42.5%
Overall Employment Rate, Q2 2025
Source: Trading Economics / BHAS
42.9%
Employment Rate (Full Year 2024 — Record High)
Source: CEIC / BHAS LFS
1.44M
Total Labour Force, Q3 2025
Source: Sarajevo Times / BHAS
1.28M
Employed Persons, Q3 2025
Source: Agency for Statistics BiH
162K
Unemployed Persons (LFS), Q3 2025
Source: Sarajevo Times
Unemployment Trajectory (LFS, 2020–2025)
Source: Macrotrends / Trading Economics / Sarajevo Times / BHAS
Registered Unemployment (Administrative Data)
314K
Total Registered Job Seekers, Dec 2025
Source: Sarajevo Times / Agency for Labour BiH
59.7%
Share of Registered Unemployed Who Are Women
Source: Sarajevo Times Dec 2025
-1.84%
Year-on-Year Decline in Registered Unemployed
Source: Sarajevo Times
Job Seeker Skill Profile — Oct 2025
Source: EU Youthwiki / National Policies Platform (Feb 2026)
Youth Labour Market
⚠ Youth Unemployment Crisis
Bosnia and Herzegovina consistently records one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Europe — nearly double the national average — signalling a structural failure to absorb young workers into the formal economy.
27.3%
Youth Unemployment Rate (15–24), 2024 (ILO modelled)
Source: World Bank / FRED St. Louis Fed
30.2%
Youth Unemployment, Q1 2025
Source: EU Youthwiki / EACEA
33.5%
Youth Unemployment, Q3 2025
Source: EU Youthwiki / EACEA
17.6%
NEET Rate (Not in Employment, Education or Training), 2022
Source: ILO BiH
32.8%
NEET Rate in 2015 (vs declining trend to present)
Source: ETF Country Fiche 2024
15.7%
World Average Youth Unemployment (BiH far exceeds this)
Source: TheGlobalEconomy.com
Gender Employment Disparities
55%
Male Employment Rate (15–64)
Source: ILO BiH, 2024
35%
Female Employment Rate (15–64)
Source: ILO BiH, 2024
61%
Male Activity Rate (Labour Force Participation)
Source: EU Youthwiki 2024
36%
Female Activity Rate (Lowest in the Balkans)
Source: EU Youthwiki 2024 / ILO
Source: ETF Country Fiche 2024 / TheGlobalEconomy.com / ILO
Wages & Compensation
1,605 BAM
Average Net Monthly Salary, Oct 2025
Source: Sarajevo Times / BHAS
2,457 BAM
Average Gross Monthly Wages, Jan 2026
Source: Trading Economics / BHAS
+13.4%
Nominal Wage Growth YoY (Oct 2024 → Oct 2025)
Source: Sarajevo Times
Net Salary by Sector — Oct 2025
| Sector | Avg. Net Salary (BAM) |
|---|---|
| Information & Communication (IT) | 2,202 |
| Health & Social Protection | 2,068 |
| Financial & Insurance Activities | 2,039 |
| Energy (Electricity, Gas, Steam) | 1,993 |
| National Average | 1,605 |
| Construction | 1,278 |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1,150 |
Source: Sarajevo Times / Agency for Statistics BiH
Minimum Wage Evolution (BAM/month)
Source: wage.is / Playroll 2026
Brain Drain & Emigration Impact
1.7M
Bosnians Living Abroad
The highest emigration rate in Europe and Central Asia — approximately 1.7 million citizens reside outside BiH, representing a massive structural loss to the domestic labour market.
7.20
Human Flight & Brain Drain Index, 2024 (Scale 0–10)
Source: 9cv9 BiH Report 2025
11%
Diaspora Remittances as Share of GDP, 2024
Source: Prague Process / BiH
1.61M
Bosnians Abroad per UNDESA 2024 (95.8% in Europe)
Source: Prague Process
Top Destinations for BiH Diaspora
Source: Prague Process / UNDESA 2024
Hiring Landscape & Sector Trends
12,094
Job Advertisements Published in 2023
Source: AlmaCareer / MojPosao.ba
26,738
Total Job Positions Advertised in 2023
Source: AlmaCareer / MojPosao.ba
-13%
Decline in Job Ads 2023 vs Prior Year
Source: AlmaCareer
69%
Employers Reporting Difficulty Finding Talent
Source: 9cv9 BiH Report 2025
64%
Employers Using Online Job Boards as Primary Channel
Source: 9cv9 BiH Report 2025
58%
Employers Relying on Employee Referrals
Source: 9cv9 BiH Report 2025
Sectors with Acute Talent Shortages
- ITSoftware developers, data analysts, and cybersecurity specialists are in critically short supply. The ICT sector employs a growing share of talent, with ICT specialist employment growing 23.4 percentage points since 2018.
- HealthDoctors and nurses emigrate at high rates to Western Europe, creating acute shortages in both urban hospitals and rural clinics across FBiH and Republika Srpska.
- Const.Construction sector recorded lowest average net salary at 1,278 BAM/month, contributing to worker exodus despite increased job ad activity in early 2024.
- Manuf.Manufacturing employs 19.5% of BiH workforce vs EU average of 15.6%, yet struggles with skilled worker retention amid competition from abroad.
Macroeconomic & Demographic Context
$28.3B
Nominal GDP, 2024 (USD)
Source: US Trade.gov / World Bank
2.5%
Real GDP Growth Rate, 2024
Source: World Bank / US Trade.gov
3.4%
Projected GDP Growth Rate, 2025
Source: World Bank (State Dept Report)
3.18M
Total Population (2025 Forecast)
Source: Statista Socioeconomic Outlook
45.7
Median Age (Jan 2025) — Rapidly Aging Population
Source: 9cv9 BiH Report 2025
22.9%
Share of Population Aged 65+ (2025)
Source: 9cv9 BiH Report 2025
20%
Share of Informal Employment in Total Employment
Source: ILO BiH, 2024
31%
Estimated Informal Economy as Share of GDP
Source: World Economics
-0.7%
Annual Population Decline Rate (2024–2025)
Source: 9cv9 BiH Report 2025
© 2026 9CV9 Research | State of Hiring & Recruitment — Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sources: BHAS · ILO · World Bank · Trading Economics · ETF · EU Youthwiki · Sarajevo Times · Prague Process · US Dept of State · AlmaCareer · 9cv9 Blog