MojPosao Portal: More Workers Were Wanted in 2021 than Before the Pandemic
January 4, 2022 - According to an analysis by the MojPosao portal, in 2021 more jobs were sought than before the pandemic and the most sought-after occupations were waiter, salesman, driver, storekeeper, cook, programmer, and production worker.
Last year, more than 74,000 job advertisements were published on the MojPosao portal, which is 42 percent more than in 2020 and eight percent more than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, while more than 1.5 million work applications were received, the MojPosao portal announced today.
"The analysis of the entire labor market, taking into account the total number of published job advertisements, shows a growing trend of labor demand and recovery of the labor market from the effects of the coronavirus crisis," said the portal MojPosao. According to the data they present, the most sought-after occupations in 2021 were: waiter (bartender), salesman (trader), driver, storekeeper, cook, programmer, and production worker.
Compared to the previous year, the highest growth in the number of advertisements was recorded in the categories of human resources (growth of 130 percent) and architecture (growth of 127 percent), while compared to 2019, the highest growth was recorded in the categories of construction, geodesy, geology 51 percent) and health, social work (growth of 46 percent).
The MojPosao portal also pointed out that last year more than 1.5 million employee applications were received, which is 6 percent more than in 2020 and 21 percent more than in 2019.
"Despite the fact that the beginning of the year did not look promising due to the rigorous epidemiological measures in force in January and February, which limited economic developments, the mitigation of measures in March led to a recovery in the labor market and significant growth in vacancies jobs which continued until the end of the year. Moreover, thanks to the high demand for labor in the second half of the year, the total number of published job advertisements exceeded the figures from the record, pre-pandemic 2019'', the portal states.
The director of the MojPosao portal, Igor Žonja, pointed out that the favorable trends are a reflection of a fairly successful tourist season and somewhat later seasonal employment than is usually the case, and "for some time now Croatia has been looking for more workers".
Last year, more than half of the ads (52 percent) referred to Zagreb and Zagreb County, followed by coastal counties - Primorje-Gorski Kotar (12 percent), Sibenik-Knin (also 12 percent), and Istria County (10 percent).
Considering the type of employment, in 2021, vacancies accounted for 73 percent of the total number of vacancies, which is almost the same as the year before, according to the MojPosao portal, noting that the ads provide for the possibility of marking more types of employment for the same job. Thus, there was 53 percent of job advertisements, also the same as in 2020. Seasonal workers were sought in six percent of the ads, while three percent of the ads were related to student jobs.
According to the MojPosao portal, 49 percent of employees were interested in a permanent job, while 24 percent were interested in part-time work. Also, seven percent of job seekers were interested in part-time work, and almost the same number of employees expressed interest in seasonal employment.
In 2021, employers were most often looking for candidates with a high school diploma - in 51 percent of advertisements, a high school diploma was a condition for successfully applying to the competition.
In 31 percent of the ads, knowledge of English was required, and in eight percent, German, while other languages were less represented. Work experience was required in less than half of the ads (42 percent), on average two years and four months, the same as the year before.
In 2021, employers published more than 3,000 job advertisements abroad, which is 58 percent more than in 2020 and as much as 73 percent more than in 2019. Most advertisements abroad were published for work in Germany, Austria, and Slovenia, according to a statement from the MojPosao portal.
Source: Telegram.hr
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40-60,000 Croatians Expected to Move to Switzerland Over Next Two Years
ZAGREB, 4 Jan 2022 - Switzerland opened its labor market to Croatian workers on 1 January, which will further encourage the emigration of young people from Croatia.
Citing an estimate by demographer Stjepan Šterc, the newspaper said that between 40,000 and 60,000 Croatians might emigrate to Switzerland over the next two years, reports Večernji List.
According to data from the Swiss statistical office for November 2020, 28,966 Croatian nationals live in that country, while Croatian Catholic missions, the Croatian Embassy, and the Croatian expatriate community put their number at around 80,000.
Many of the Croatians who emigrated to Switzerland in the 1970s to 1990s have in the meantime acquired Swiss citizenship.
"Switzerland is becoming an ideal emigration destination because it is a highly ordered society where a lot of our people already live. My estimate is that thanks to easier immigration rules, between 40,000 and 60,000 Croatian citizens will emigrate to that country in the next two years," Šterc said.
"Two years ago I held lectures in Switzerland and saw for myself how satisfied our people are with their life in that country. They are dreaming about Croatia being as orderly as Switzerland," he added.
Šterc noted that Croatians find it easy to adapt to new environments, which makes them ideal immigrants while retaining their Croatian identity. "Switzerland is not far and they can easily visit their families in Croatia. Today, young and educated people quickly adapt and learn the language of the host country," he said, describing Switzerland as a promised land for Croatians.
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HNB: Total Loans Reach HRK 237.6 bn
ZAGREB, 4 Jan 2022 - The volume of loans issued in Croatia totaled HRK 237.6 billion at the end of November 2021, which is an increase of 3.7% compared with November 2020, according to data from the Croatian National Bank (HNB).
Total lending by monetary institutions to domestic sectors (except the central government) was HRK 243.4 billion, an increase of HRK 700 million or 0.3% compared with October 2021 and of 4.5% compared with November 2021.
Loans accounted for the majority of lending, reaching HRK 237.6 billion in November 2021. They increased by 0.3% from October 2021 and by HRK 8.5 billion or 3.7% from November 2020.
Broken down by sector, compared with October 2021, corporate loans increased by HRK 400 million, or 0.5%, to HRK 84.8 billion, while household loans rose by HRK 200 million, or 0.2%, to HRK 141.8 billion. A slight rise, of HRK 100 million or 0.5% to HRK 11 billion, was also observed with other financial institutions.
The majority of household loans included housing loans, which increased by HRK 300 million or 0.4% month on month to HRK 67.5 billion, while general-purpose cash loans remained almost unchanged, at HRK 53.3 billion.
Compared with November 2020, corporate loans rose by HRK 600 million or 0.7%, and household loans by HRK 5.7 billion or 4.2%. Loans to other domestic sectors went up by HRK 2.2 billion or 25.1%.
On an annual level, total loans to households slowed down from 4.9% in October to 4.8% in November, reflecting the slowdown in the growth of housing loans, from 11.3% to 10.5%, due to the marked growth of subsidized loans issued in the same period of last year.
The slowdown in household lending on an annual level was partly mitigated by the stagnation of general-purpose cash loans, which decreased in the same month of the previous year, which increased their annual growth rate from 1.6% to 2.0%. On the other hand, corporate loans continued to accelerate on an annual level, from 1.8% to 2.2%, after stagnating earlier in the year.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)
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Marić Comments on Record-Breaking Consumer Spending in 2021
ZAGREB, 4 Jan 2022 - Consumer spending in Croatia reached a record-breaking level in 2021 as Croatians spent HRK 17.5 billion in December alone.
"The data on record-breaking spending in December partly surprised us, but that's what we expected. You could see that the whole of last year was really good, notably, the 5% increase in the value of fiscalised receipts compared with 2019," Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said in an interview with HTV public television on Monday evening.
Marić said that the record for last month was set on 23 December when nearly 8 million fiscalised receipts were issued and their value reached nearly HRK 900 million. He noted that 13 August 2021 holds the record since the fiscalisation system was introduced when nearly a billion fiscalised receipts were issued in a single day.
Marić said that the government's original growth forecast for last year was 5%. "The last projection was 9%, and by all indications, we have reached the border of the two-digit growth rate. This indeed is a very good result and we will be among the top three (EU) countries with the highest growth in 2021," he predicted.
Speaking of challenges ahead, notably those concerning the COVID pandemic, Marić mentioned inflation and disruptions to global supply chains. "In my opinion, these are the two biggest risks to our macroeconomic projections. However, there is a great deal of or at least several strong positive factors, first and foremost the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and our path towards the eurozone and Schengen."
Marić said that the government has moved from the job retention phase to the job creation phase, noting that the labor shortage is one of the main issues that need to be addressed. "That's why all these measures concerning active employment policy, which should lead to higher employment and higher wages, should be fully supported."
2022 inflation projected at around 3.5%
Speaking of inflation, Marić said that inflation has picked up in recent months and that for the most part it has been imported, citing prices of raw materials and oil and supply chain disruptions. This has resulted in inflation spilling over to a wide range of items, notably food and fuels, he added.
"As for our projections, we will have data for December in the coming days. We expect that inflation will continue to accelerate as it did in the first half of the year. Based on the available data, average inflation for 2022 is projected at around 3.5%," the finance minister said.
Marić said that based on this estimate, it could be concluded that prices in 2022 would grow somewhat faster than wages, but added that there were several strong drivers that would push wages upwards.
"On the one hand, there is a labor shortage, so employers will be forced to increase wages, while on the other hand, active employment policy measures will make their contribution. In case of price growth is higher than wage growth, which is still not certain, but if that happens, the difference will not be such as to substantially endanger the living standards of Croatian citizens," Marić said.
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Croatia Records 5,845 New Coronavirus Cases, 46 Deaths
ZAGREB, 4 Jan 2021 - Croatia has registered 5,845 new coronavirus cases and 46 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.
The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 28,889. Among them are 1,817 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 233 who are on ventilators, and 16,715 persons who are self-isolating.
To date, 4,745,870 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.71 percent of the total population, or 66.37 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,260,882 people have received at least one dose and 2,146,134 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 63.16 percent of the adult population.
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Classes Will Start on January 10th, So Far No County is Going Online
January 4, 2022 - Classes will start on January 10, and the Ministry has so far not received a notification from any county about the transition to the C model, or online classes, after the holidays.
The Ministry of Science and Education does not intend to change the decision at the beginning and end of the school year, so classes will start on January 10 after the winter holidays in all schools, and so far no county has announced the transition to online classes, reports Večernji List.
"The ministry does not intend to change the decision on the beginning and end of the school year, the number of working days and the duration of vacations of primary and secondary school students for the school year 2021/2022," the Ministry of Science and Education said on Tuesday.
Croatia has registered 5,845 new coronavirus cases and 46 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.
The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 28,889. Among them are 1,817 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 233 who are on ventilators, and 16,715 persons who are self-isolating.
To date, 4,745,870 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.71 percent of the total population, or 66.37 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,260,882 people have received at least one dose and 2,146,134 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 63.16 percent of the adult population.
Despite the current epidemiological situation, the Ministry of Science and Education does not contemplate a return to virtual classes, although the development of face-to-face classes will be closely monitored in the coming weeks to avoid more cases.
For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.
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Šibenik-Knin County Awarded 23 Scholarships to School and College Students
January 4, 2022 - A total of 23 scholarships were awarded, 8 for school students and 15 for college students residing in the Šibenik-Knin County for the academic year 2021/2022.
According to the conducted public competition for the award of new scholarships to pupils and students residing in the Šibenik-Knin County, for the school and academic year 2021/2022, and according to the determined final list, in the last days of 2021, scholarship agreements were signed. A total of 23 scholarships were awarded, eight for school students and 15 for college students, reports Šibenski.
After the signing of new scholarship agreements for pupils and students for the school academic year 2021/2022, as of today, the Šibenik-Knin County annually provides scholarships to a total of 71 beneficiaries: 55 school students and 16 college students.
The middle and high school student scholarship is 400 kuna, and the college student scholarship is 700 kuna per month and is paid in 10 equal monthly installments in the school or academic year.
In accordance with the expressed needs of health care institutions in the Šibenik-Knin County, the County, at the initiative of the County Prefect Dr. sc. Marko Jelić and Deputy Prefect Iris Ukić Kotarac, listening to the needs of the system, this year for the first time awarded two scholarships for students of integrated graduate study of medical biochemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. This scholarship amounts to HRK 2,500 per month and is paid in 10 equal monthly installments.
For the scholarship of pupils and students of Šibenik-Knin County for 2022, it is planned to provide HRK 485,000 in the budget, from the original revenues of the County. In addition, the amount of HRK 220,000 will be provided for co-financing programs and projects of higher education institutions.
Therefore, a total of HRK 705,000 will be provided for public needs in higher education, which is HRK 52,500 more than in 2021.
''By providing financial support to our pupils and students, the goal of this executive branch headed by the prefect and deputy prefect, who is also the president of the Scholarship Commission, is to improve their material status and encourage them to choose occupations in demand in the labor market, they have increased the possibility of employment and then staying in our county. The intention is to further improve the provisions of the current Ordinance in terms of certain rules and procedures and adapt them to the actual practical needs of the County'', said the Šibenik-Knin County.
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Ex-Minister Žalac Released from Investigative Custody
ZAGREB, 3 Jan 2022 - Former Minister for Regional Development and EU Funds Gabrijela Žalac has been released from investigative custody after all witnesses in the so-called Software case have been interviewed and there is no risk of her interfering with witnesses, a Zagreb County Court investigating judge ruled on Monday.
The other suspects, former Central Finance and Contracting Agency (SAFU) director Tomislav Petric and IT company owners Mladen Šimunac and Marko Jukić, are expected to be released later this week, after all, witnesses have been questioned, Hina learned from sources close to the investigation.
On 10 December, the investigating judge extended the detention of Žalac and the other suspects for a month citing a risk of witness tampering. They were arrested on 10 November on the orders of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Zagreb, which demanded that they be remanded in custody for two months so that they could question 17-18 witnesses.
The investigation was launched by the EPPO following a criminal report filed by the National Police Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime. Žalac, Petric, Šimunac, and Jukić are suspected of defrauding the European Union and Croatia of €1.8 million.
Žalac is suspected of fixing the public procurement of an information system for strategic planning and development management for the companies owned by Šimunić and Jukić. The suspects concluded a harmful deal under which the price of the IT system was increased several times over to HRK 13.4 million (€1.8m) to the detriment of the financial interests of the EU and Croatia.
Žalac is suspected of abuse of office and official authority and of influence peddling, Petric is suspected of abuse of office and official authority, Šimunac is suspected of inciting the abuse of office and official authority, and Jukić is suspected of aiding and abetting the abuse of office and official authority.
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PM Reports on Meeting with Defense Minister on US Bradley M2A2 ODS Offer
ZAGREB, 3 Jan 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in a Twitter post on Monday that a meeting was held with Defense Minister Mario Banožić and representatives of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces regarding the US offer to equip the Croatian Army with the Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
"Meeting with Minister Banožić and representatives of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces on the US government's offer to equip the Croatian Army with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. We want the investment to be good and sustainable in the long run for the Croatian Army," the PM said on Twitter on Monday afternoon.
The Defense Ministry said on its website on 28 December that Minister Banožić took part in a working meeting with PM Plenković and government members as well as Armed Forces officials focusing on further investment and modernization of the Croatian Army, with emphasis on the US Bradley M2A2 ODS offer.
The meeting underlined the government's commitment to strengthening all branches of the military for the sake of a successful response to defense and security challenges as well as achieving the highest security on land, at sea, and in the air.
Regarding the Bradley offer, the Defense Ministry and the General Staff were requested to provide additional explanations on the offer as a good long-term investment for the land forces, the Ministry said on 28 December.
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"Croatian Island Product" Designation Awarded to Another 78 Products
ZAGREB, 3 Jan 2022 - Minister for Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak has granted the right for 78 products nominated by 23 producers to be labeled "Croatian Island Product", her ministry said on Monday.
A total of 320 producers of 1,094 products from 24 Croatian Adriatic islands and the Pelješac peninsula now have the right to display the Croatian Island Product designation on their products.
A public call for the award of this designation was open from 7 to 29 October, and 27 applications were submitted by island producers who nominated a total of 86 products.
The products were grouped into four categories - applied art and design (51 products by 10 producers), food products (18 products by 12 producers), chemical products (15 products by 3 producers), and beverages (2 products by as many producers).
The applications were examined by competent commissions, which forwarded their proposals to Minister Tramišak based on which she decided to award the Croatian Island Product designation to 78 new products.
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