About the ILO in Kosovo¹

Limited job opportunities, especially for women and youth

While Kosovo has witnessed an annual GDP growth rate of approximately 3.9 per cent over the past decade, it still displays slow income convergence with EU levels (13 per cent),  without a measurable impact on labour force participation and employment. In 2021, the labour force participation rate stood at 39.3 per cent (77.6 per cent in the EU27). This low participation rate is particularly noticeable among women (22 per cent) and young people aged 15-24 (21.4 per cent). Moreover, the latest available data (2021) reveal that a staggering 32.1 per cent of youth are neither employed, nor enrolled in education or training programmes (NEET). Continue reading


¹All references to Kosovo should be understood in the context of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).