ZAGREB, March 11, 2018 - Knowledge of Croatian and cultural adjustment are prerequisites for the successful integration of migrants into the Croatian labour market, a round table was told in Zagreb. The panel discussed challenges of the economic integration of third-country nationals under international protection.
Pavao Ćorluka of the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) said that the HUP was currently preparing 18 migrants for integration into the labour market. Migrants do not know Croatian language well enough because they have access to courses that offer only 70 hours of language learning. That's why more money should be earmarked in the budget for language mentoring, Ćorluka said.
Luci Marin of the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) drew attention to the problem of diploma recognition, while Drago Župarić-Iljić of the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies said that, because of population ageing and emigration, Croatia would at one point have to focus on a proactive migration policy and therefore the migrants who are now in Croatia should be given a chance for a better life.
The acting director of the Government Office for Human and Ethnic Minority Rights, Branko Sočanac, said that the immigration process required effort both on the part of migrants and the host country. Croatia should ensure conditions to make their integration as fast and efficient as possible, and migrants would make their contribution to society, Sočanac said. He added that, in the last 12 years, Croatia has granted 583 applications for international protection of migrants, most of them in the last three years.
The deputy head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia, Mirella Rašić, emphasised the importance of investing in migrants' education and inclusion into the labour market. Refugees are facing major obstacles to employment and are one of the most vulnerable groups on the labour market, she said.
Rašić said that in 2014 the employment rate among refugees was 15-20 percent lower than the employment rate among people born in Europe. She noted that the employment rate was particularly low among women.
