September the 2nd, 2022 - It's hardly a secret that the Croatian economy isn't known for being a booming one where employers fight over would-be staff with pay rise after pay rise, but it is jarring to learn that an entire third of Croatian employees have never received a pay rise.

Giving a pay rise to your employees is one way to show not only your appreciation of their efforts and choice to remain with you and your company, but to further build the confidence and loyalty of your employees, and as Poslovni Dnevnik writes, despite spiralling inflation and the worries surrounding the energy crisis, only one in three Croatian employees can actually expect a raise by the end of this year.

Inflation is ongoing and as a result, the prices of just about everything imaginable have been running wild. It is making the cap between rich and poor even wider, and now more and more people are at risk of poverty than before. To add insult to injury, as analysed by the MojaPlaca (MyWages) service, Croatian wages have only grown by a very pitiful four percent when compared to last year.

Just over a quarter of Croatian employees (28 percent of them) received a raise earlier this year, while 23 percent of them received a raise for the last time back in 2021. It is worrying that a third of Croatian employees (30 percent of them) have never received a raise, despite the fact that many have been with their employers for a long time.

The amount of the average raise in the Republic of Croatia is 8 percent of a peron's salary, or 645 kuna on average. 36 percent of respondents expect a raise by the end of the year, a quarter of respondents (25 percent) don't yet know if they can expect a raise, while 34 percent don't expect a salary increase of any level at all.

When asked by what criteria raises are received/distributed in the company where they work, the majority of Croatian employees (58 percent of them) stated that it isn't remotely clearly defined when and to whom raises are given.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 4 June 2022 - The planned changeover to the euro in 2023 obliges Croatia to amend a set of laws, including the legislation regulating the enforced collection of delinquent debts, the Jutarnji List (JL) daily reported on Saturday.

Apart from changing all the laws that cite the kuna, some other laws will have to be amended, the daily newspaper says, adding that the change would further reinforce the protection of consumers against invalid contracts.

Currently, apart from the Financial Agency (FINA), the Croatian Pension Insurance Fund (HZMO) and employers are also authorized to garnish pensions and wages respectively to withhold the earnings of an individual for the payment of his or her debt in accordance with out-of-court settlements.

The employers complain about this obligation as an additional administrative burden.

Furthermore, employers are often at a loss on how to deduct money from an employee's monetary compensation so as to withhold a part of the salary subject to the enforced collection.

Therefore, the justice ministry plans to introduce a single system for the enforced collection when it comes to the wage and pension garnishment, and that only FINA should be authorized to collect delinquent debts from the income of debtors.

For more, check out our business section.

March 19, 2022 - The Red Cross says that employers call them to offer jobs for Ukrainians. Maria Meleshko, from the Ukrainian community, warns about possible exploitation and violation of human rights. The Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) gives more details, both for Ukrainian citizens and Croatian employers.

Since the arrival of Ukrainian refugees at the Plitvice Motel in Zagreb, where the reception center is located, many employers from Croatia have called and offered them jobs. At the same time, one of the first questions of Ukrainians after arriving at the reception center was whether there was any work for them. ''There are a lot of young people, people want to get a job'', said Nikolina Gotal, spokeswoman for the city society CK Zagreb to 24sata.

Most of them, she adds, are employers from service industries. 

''A man from Samobor called and asked for a chef and an assistant chef, a lady from Ukraine told us that she already had a job interview in Pula, so we called colleagues from the Red Cross there to find accommodation for her and her family. In the second week after the arrival of the refugees, two employees of the Croatian Employment Service started coming every day for two hours and talked to the Ukrainians and entered them in their records'', said Gotal.

In addition to employers, the reception center was also contacted by numerous owners of private kindergartens, offering children from Ukraine accommodation in their kindergartens. Finally, she told all employers interested in employing Ukrainians to contact the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) and coordinate everything through them.

Vlado Karešin, President of the Ukrainian Community of the Republic of Croatia, said to 24sata that they were looking for a job for a Ukrainian who arrived in Slavonski Brod with four children and is a ceramicist by profession. 

''Here in Slavonski Brod, except for him, there are all mothers with children, one mother said that she would like to start working as soon as possible, so we are looking for a job for her as well'', Karešin said.

Marija Meleško, from the Ukrainian community in Zagreb, said that she still does not know anyone who got a job and states that it was mostly mothers with children who came from Ukraine and they must first take care of them before they get a job.

''Those who do not have any family or friends here, will want to work immediately. Mothers must first place their child in kindergarten or school and then start working. I only hope and believe that Croatian employers will not abuse people who came to seek salvation in Croatia and that there will be no exploitation of people. People come traumatized, disoriented in time and space, and not ready to control everything because they are in such a psychological state. I hope that their human rights will not be violated for human trafficking so that someone picks them up at the border and ends up who knows where. I hope there will be no such cases. Mothers with children are a particularly vulnerable group and are still coming into the unknown. And of course, I absolutely trust the Croatian police. If that happens by chance, I expect an immediate police response, which I believe will do it all. So far, there are no such situations, they are just fears, but we should be careful'', she concluded.

So, what should be considered before looking for a job in Croatia as a Ukrainian citizen, or before offering a job as a Croatian employer to a Ukrainian citizen? The Croatian Employment Service (HZZ), through a Q&A, cleared up the doubts.

How can Croatian employers hire refugees from Ukraine?

All persons under temporary protection must first regulate their stay in Croatia, they must first go to the Ministry of the Interior, obtain an identity card and OIB. They can then be registered in our unemployment register, and we will refer them to the jobs of potential employers in accordance with their knowledge. The HZZ will work intensively to connect people interested in work and employers.

Should Ukrainians have a work permit?

Temporary protection is approved by the Ministry of the Interior for a period of one year, during which time persons under temporary protection can be employed without a residence and work permit, which must be required for third-country nationals. Since only a small number of refugees from Ukraine have achieved this, it is understandable that they are not yet registered in the unemployment register.

Does HZZ help Ukrainians get a job in Croatia?

Employees of the Croatian Employment Service are daily in reception centers and collective accommodation and in individual interviews record the interest and employment opportunities of individuals and provide basic information about employment and employment opportunities and support they can receive from the job search agency.

How is communication with them?

In order to facilitate communication and provide basic information, the HZZ produced a leaflet in the Ukrainian language and the Cyrillic alphabet. The leaflet can contain all the information on registration in the unemployment register as well as the rights that a person exercises after registration.

Do you expect a large number of Ukrainians to be employed in Croatia?

All persons who express an interest in registering with the HZZ with the counselor will determine with which counselor they can and want to work, which languages ​​and other special skills they use, and the counselor will therefore refer them to the jobs of potential employers. We expect that in the future we will work intensively on connecting people interested in work and employers. Once again, we note that persons must regulate their status in the Ministry of the Interior in order to be able to register in the unemployment register and then be employed.

You can find the list and locations of all HZZ regional offices and their branches HERE.

Source: 24sata.hr

For more on the Ukraine crisis and Croatia, as well as breaking news, follow our news section.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

December the 7th, 2021 - We often hear all about how employers just can't get the staff and need to instead go into battle with MUP's pen pushers in order to hire third country nationals from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, but is that really the case? Not always. There are plenty of would-be Croatian workers, but they aren't about to jump for joy working for minimum wage with no days off.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the search for Croatian workers in tourism for the next summer season has never started earlier than now - all tourist companies typically use the low season for active searches not only for seasonal workers but also for a permanent workforce that can expect better conditions than in they had over the last two years.

Hotels offer slightly higher salaries, and are looking for seasons which span a more generous period of 4 to 7 months, which suggests that they are counting on a decent tourist season in summer 2022.

However, their task is not easy, with the continuation of the trend of migration of Croatian workers to the west, the pool of workers from Serbia and Macedonia has been significantly reduced, whose work in Germany and Austria has also been much more simplified since this year.

At the same time, this year the trend of emigration of German and Austrian workers to Switzerland, where higher salaries are offered, has intensified. This is just a part of the insight into the lively labour market revealed by Natasa Kacar, the director of the employment agency Gate2Solutions and the Job in Tourism portal, one of the leading platforms that connects supply and demand for workers here in Croatia and across Europe.

"At this time of year, we mostly dealt with the winter season at ski resorts, and this is a really unusually active autumn for Croatian employers. It is completely different than last year, when it was not known when and how the season would start, and the search for Croatian workers started practically with the very arrival of the season, and as such, there was chaos.

We're now noticing a lot more optimism from employers for next year, but also fears that they will be left without Croatian workers again. At the same time, there are more Croatian workers out there willing to do a goo job than it seems, but they can no longer allow themselves to be exploited and that is the basic thing that employers must keep in mind,'' points out Kacar.

"Posao u turizmu/Jobs in tourism" has been uniting a dozen local and foreign employment agencies as a specialised portal and mediation agency for six years now, and in addition to Croatia they are present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland and Austria through their agents and branches. They're also active in Germany, Malta, Ukraine, India and even in Dubai.

The founder of the portal is Tin Tomljanovic, an award-winning Croatian bartender. The combined base and channels through which they communicate the needs of workers ensure that they quickly find workers for their partners. They also offer the possibility of importing workers from other EU member states and from third countries, from Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, but also Ukraine, the Philippines and Thailand.

They mediate not only in the employment of seasonal workers, but also in permanent employment for an indefinite period. Natasa Kacar also claims that they are contacted by Croatian emigrants who would like return home, but having experienced life (and salaries) abroad, they have their own conditions.

“Those who emigrated to work in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, cruise workers... they all clear employment conditions there, from wages higher than there, to accommodation and food, and they of course got used to one or two days off per week. With the exception of mostly large serious companies, in Croatia there is generally no guarantee of a salary, which is usually the minimum wage, and the rest is paid in hand. There are often no days off, especially during the height of the summer season, and work is done without a break for 12-14 hours when there are many people around. In Switzerland, work is carried out for 9 hours with a break of 50 minutes, which must be used because otherwise employers risk fines, if they work in hotels, then they're free for two days a week every week.

Croatian workers now know exactly where and what they're going for. When I tell my employer that I don't have a worker who will work without a break and a day off, restaurant owners can say that the nature of the job is such that it is done without a break. Maybe it can be like that for the owners, bur the workers no longer agree to that, especially the younger ones, and employers have to be ready for that,'' says Kacar.

Besides, salaries outside of Croatia's borders are typically much more attractive. A recently announced tender published on the portal is one which is looking for chefs, bartenders and waiters for the winter season over in Switzerland, for seasonal jobs with the possibility of permanent employment. Salaries range from 3,900 to 4,400 euros gross (minus 13-20 percent to the net amount), accommodation and meals are provided at an additional cost, as employers co-finance the rental of all apartments.

In Austria, a head waiter typically receives about 1,900 euros net, in Croatia they work just as hard only to take home somewhere between 7,000 and 9,000 kuna, while maids work a maximum of 8 hours a day in the sweltering Croatian summer heat with just one day off.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

October the 13th, 2021 - Croatian employers, especially those in the tourism and construction industries, are so desperate for qualified staff that the issue is becoming more of a problem than the pandemic was.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, although last year they barely made up 40 percent of 2019's revenue, thanks to state measures, moratoriums on loans and previous stocks, the leading large tourism companies managed to maintain the stability they needed to realise the remarkably successful 2021 season.

The biggest problem this year has been the lack of manpower, which has spread from uncertainty in the travel industry to other sectors, primarily the construction industry. When the results add up after the season, which continued at a more than decent pace throughout the month of September, decisions will be made to restart investments that were blocked by the pandemic.

Both ''pandemic years'' have shown that the best result was achieved by the premium segment of the offer, and there are many places to invest in all segments of accommodation, from campsites and hotels to family/private accommodation and entertainment.

Maistra, including Dubrovnik's Hilton Imperial, recorded 45 percent of the sales it had in pre-pandemic 2019 during a very difficult 2020, realising at the same time 41 percent of their sales of goods and services from 2019. Segment analysis showed that in 2020, campsites performed 9 percent better in terms of the number of units sold than the Maistra average. In the period from June to September, when the business was without significant epidemiological restrictions, the best sales compared to the previous year (2019) were achieved by the luxury hotel segment in the Istrian city of Rovinj.

In 2020, HUP-Zagreb generated only 18 percent of units sold and 18 percent of the sales revenue compared to the previous year of 2019, which is devastating. Maistra's consolidated revenue from the sale of the tourism segment in 2020 amounted to 587 million kuna, which is a mere 35 percent of the 2019's impressive realisation.

Profit before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) amounted to 93 million kuna, with a net loss of 136 million kuna. Achieved positive EBITDA indicates the fact that in the crisis year of 2020, the tourism segment achieved a level of operating profit and liquidity sufficient for the operation of normal business, they explained from Maistra. In addition to the blossoming nautical sector, their campsites last year had ''full colour'' occupancy in comparison to hotels, which were also weaker than the private accommodation sector, but fortunately that changed this year.

Due to the continuation of the coronavirus pandemic during the first part of 2021, Maistra's business activity decreased, but sales of 335 thousand accommodation units were realised, which represents growth of 113 percent when compared to last year's reporting period, and is at 60 percent of 2019's figures.

In the first six months of this year, the Maistra Group generated 296.5 million kuna in operating revenue, which is about two and a half times more than last year, and is also at the level of 66 percent of the same period in 2019. A positive result before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was achieved in the amount of 49.2 million kuna. Although we're still waiting for the results for the third, key quarter, the physical occupancy of hotels this summer suggests significantly better results than last year, for all tourist companies on the Adriatic coast.

So far, only the Pula Arena Hospitality Group has reported on their results for this summer season, revealing that operations in the Republic of Croatia exceeded expectations during July and August, with total unaudited revenue in these two months reaching approximately 90 percent of the total revenue in the same period back in 2019.

Revenue generated in August 2021 is at the level of revenue generated in August 2019. “This result was achieved without the usual gradual growth of seasonal activity, at a time when the rules on covid passports and testing were still in force, and when certain countries from which people usually come had placed travel restrictions on those coming to and arriving from Croatia. Our second region, which consists of operations in Germany, Hungary and Serbia, has also shown signs of recovery, although the pace of such recovery varies depending on the market and is slower compared to the Croatian holiday tourism segment. Unaudited total revenue for this region in July and August represents 39 percent of the total revenue realised back during the same period in 2019. However, with the reopening of the market and the continued progress of the vaccination rollout, we expect this sort of recovery to continue,'' they stated from the company.

This excellent tourist season has generally positively surprised the entire sector, because although improvements were expected in comparison to last year, no one could have predicted that August would almost reach pre-pandemic figures and that fiscalisation would even exceed those numbers. Namely, in August 2021, 4.3 million arrivals and 30.7 million overnight stays were realised in Croatia, equal to 59 percent more arrivals and 46 percent more overnight stays than in the same period last year.

Now that it appears things are back on track in comparison to a dire 2020, Croatian employers from some of the most negatively affected industries are on the hunt for qualified staff and this issue is becoming more of an issue than the pandemic and lockdowns were. People who had always worked in construction, tourism and catering and hospitality began moving away from those fields in search of more stability, and it will now prove a challenge to attract them back to the sector which so easily dropped them.

Investments were halted, shelved and in some cases binned entirely as a result of the deep uncertainty the public health crisis caused. If those blocked investments can now get moving, we might just be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of a truly horrendous and unprecedented period in history.

For more, make sure to check out our business section.

July the 13th, 2021 - As many as 25,000 Croatian employers have returned the job preservation grants provided to them by the government in an attempt to minimise economic damage caused by the ongoing pandemic.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, there is an ongoing debate here in Croatia as to how the government intends to implement its intention to link the payment of job preservation subsidies for the month of July to vaccinations, ie COVID passes/certificates.

The proposal has been unpopular to date, as it seems difficult to imagine that the powers that be might leave those who haven't yet been vaccinated out in the cold financially as a way to turn their hand.

There are still many unknowns about how the government intends to actually implement its plan. For example, there is no clear answer to the question of what one does with a worker who has a COVID certificate at the time of an inspection because they have a valid negative test, and not because they've been fully vaccinated or have evidence of recovery.

Since March last year, when it made the decision on providing very generous aid to the economy, the government has moved the goalposts, both in the sense of the conditions and the amounts. Given that the measure was adopted urgently, the conditions under which the support could and couldn't be obtained, or if Croatian employers would have to repay it had to be determined along the way.

The reimbursement of aid was a factor each time a new obstacle to its use was added, and 25,154 Croatian employers have had to repay the aid in part or in full from the beginning of its use to date.

By the middle of last week, a total of 11.034 billion kuna had been paid out to Croatian employers in the form of aid for job preservation, and more than 25,000 such employers had returned almost 255.8 million kuna of that same aid, according to data that Novi list received from the Croatian Employment Service.

This means that so far, Croatian employers have returned 2.3 percent of the state aid or every 43 kuna provided by the state to help them during the pandemic.

For more, make sure to follow our dedicated busness section.

As Novac/Gordana Grgas writes on the 21st of October, 2020, Croatian employers have generally voiced their satisfaction with the announced redesigned Government measures, but HUP warns that labour costs are not the only operating costs, business liquidity for many industries is still seriously jeopardised and that a drop in revenue of less than 40 percent could potentially mean business closure for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Hrvoje Bujas, president of the Voice of Entrepreneurs (Glas Poduzetnika) Association, therefore says that they welcome the introduction of a different modality of support for the preservation of jobs as well as increasing the possibility of reducing working hours, but they demand that the so-called covid-liquidity loans and investment loans are sped up.

"The measures adopted by the government are good for salaries, and in order for the private sector to recover, investments need to be increased. "Some companies are now changing the sectors in which they operate, switching because they have to manage," he explains. He believes that, according to the current situation, the support measures should last at least until April next year.

Regarding the new measures to be adopted by the CES Management Board, the open question is whether the recipients of aid are allowed to give business-related dismissals. The representative of the UAS in the CES Governing Board, Ana Milicevic Pezelj, explained that their position is that this isn't allowed and that the state must set the proper framework for that up.

"We're not asking for Croatian employers to not be allowed to to lay off staff in a certain period after the use of these measures to preserve jobs, but not in the time of their duration, not while using them," she emphasised. This, she added, only applies to business-related dismissals, meaning that the union is not asking for an absolute ban on lay-offs, but believes that Croatian employers "can't have both sheep and money."

Since September, says Ana Milicevic Pezelj, they have noticed a trend in some industries, such as tourism, to engage in business-related lay-offs to permanent employees, along with severance pay, with the announcement that they will be re-employed in the spring, but in another sense.

''This further erodes stable working conditions, and in those cases coronavirus merely serves as an excuse,” she noted. HUP said that dismissals are the last resort for Croatian employers, but given the epidemiological and economic situation, it is possible that in some companies, despite the subsidies, there will be a need to lay off a certain number of workers "so that business can be kept going at a reduced level and so they might keep at least part of their workers,''

They noted that the state co-finances salary amounts, while the employer is still obliged to pay the difference up to the full amount of salary, and that in the conditions of a prolonged crisis and significantly reduced business volume, there is a lack of income that could cover all such costs. HUP is therefore in favour of introducing a model related to percentage drops according to the size of the company, as was the case at the beginning of the introduction of measures back in March.

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The coronavirus pandemic has caused not only a global health crisis but a continually unfolding economic one. Croatia, despite its excellent and stringent anti-epidemic measures, hasn't managed to avoid the tremendous and sudden negative economic impact the virus has had. Owing to that, the Croatian Government came forward with economic measures to help stop the domestic economy from sinking, and Croatian employers have been entitled to numerous benefits owing to its introduction.

Just which Croatian employers have received grants from the government, and how much exactly have they been provided with? The issue of transparency is a hot one in Croatia, and the desire for everyone to be able to see exactly where the state grants are going has been a subject of much discussion.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of April, 2020, a total of 1.5 billion kuna in support was received by almost 84,000 Croatian employers for nearly 485,000 workers, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic stated on Wednesday.

''The government has responded quickly and generously to Croatian employers to make sure they have access to minimum wage funds. That measure was quickly introduced. Within ten days of receiving a request [for the grant by a Croatian employer], that request was realised and everything was done completely transparently. I'd like to reiterate the fact that almost 84 thousand companies received grants for almost 485 thousand workers for the first round of support of 1 billion and 550 million kuna.

The Croatian Employment Service (CES) and the Tax Administration will ensure that no abuse of the measure occurs, and the Ministry, in cooperation with the CES, will definitely act swiftly and efficiently for April, too, with the amount for April being 4,000 kuna,'' said Plenkovic.

The largest number of grants - 77,057 of them, were paid for workers employed by micro-employers which have up to 10 employees. For employees working for small businesses, 5,876 grants were paid out, for medium-sized companies (boasting 51 to 250 employees) 889 grants were paid, and for large companies (with more than 250 employees) 147 grants were paid.

The largest share of government aid seekers lies among micro-entrepreneurs - making up 92 percent. Small businesses make up seven percent, medium-sized companies make up one percent, and large companies make up 0.03 percent.

You can find out more about the grants Croatian employers have received, and futher support, by clicking on the links provided below:

March 2020 - User list

March 2020 - Statistics

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, visit our dedicated section.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 6th of April, 2020, a second package of economic measures to help the economy deal with the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic showed that the Government had accepted the pleas and requests of Croatian employers, who now have a clearer picture of how to plan their businesses, and their employees are now more confident that they will have their jobs preserved and their income guaranteed.

At this point, with the top priority being that the measures are properly adopted are effectively implemented, it is important for the Croatian Government to remain financially disciplined and to actually stick to strict payment timelines.

“A large number of businesses are working with the central and local government to ensure the smooth delivery of the necessary goods and services even in times of crisis. Wholesale drugstores, pharmacies and contracting healthcare entities are under special pressure due to the epidemic and huge efforts are being made to maintain not only business but also liquidity. Thus, financial discipline is extremely important because the very delay of the state could generate general illiquidity and, in the case of wholesalers, difficulty in the supply of medicine, which is crucial for the health system at the moment,'' said Davor Majetić, CEO of the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP)

Croatian employers will do everything they can to help preserve jobs while retaining the core of our businesses, so that after the crisis, we can launch an economic recovery more quickly and more efficiently.

We will also continue discussions with the government on further measures, first of all, on para-fiscal levies at both the national and local government levels. Non-tax duties and fees are a longstanding thorn in the side of our economy. Now, during the crisis, the payment of as many of these fees as possible should be frozen and an audit should be initiated immediately so that this part is finally and permanently abolished and the other part is significantly reduced,'' a statement from the Croatian Employers' Association said.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for all you need to know about coronavirus in Croatia.

The World Youth Federation of Croatia points out that the population under the age of 29 should be informed more and in a better way about opportunities available to them, such as Croatian employment measures.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes on the 2nd of March, 2020, as many as 48 percent of young people in Croatia are either entirely unfamiliar or poorly informed about Croatian employment measures, and 64.2 percent are unfamiliar with self-employment measures implemented by the Ministry of Labour and the Croatian Employment Service.

These are the results of a survey conducted by the World Youth Federation of Croatia (SSMH) as part of the Kompas Project - Directing the Future in Your Community. In addition to the results, they presented a proposal for measures for the Strategy on Employment and Self-Employment of Young People of the Republic of Croatia, which was composed by 150 young participants from seven counties.

The most negative results are, of course, in Slavonia...

The Alliance's brochure points out that Croatia, with 35.5 percent of young people aged 15-29 employed, is ranked fourth from the bottom of European Union (EU) rankings. For the last four years, SSMH has been addressing the issue of young people remaining here in Croatia, starting with the Collaboration Against Apathy - Opposition project, co-funded by the Erasmus + program, which, back in 2017, brought together more than 250 young people in four cities. They discussed the problems they face in society and the potential solutions and measures for the National Youth Programme.

150 young people from seven Croatian counties drafted a proposal for measures for the Youth Employment and Self-Employment Strategy in Croatia.

At the time, research was conducted on the needs of young people, with a focus on the local community, and the results show that unemployment is one of the biggest challenges and problems in Croatia. The need to find adequate solutions and methods for reducing youth unemployment has brought about the Kompas project. Project manager Lucija Kundid points out that statistics show a decrease in unemployment compared to last year, but believes that this is only true if young people leaving Croatia are taken into account.

Through the Kompas project, she says, they have explored young people's views on employment and self-employment to examine their awareness of incentives, Croatian employment measures and policies and their use in rural and urban areas, and their implementation and general level of efficiency at the local level.

''The survey results showed that almost half of the respondents were either entirely unaware or poorly uninformed about Croatian employment measures, and as many as 64.2 percent were unfamiliar with self-employment measures. This shows that they are not adequately or properly presented to young people. On the other hand, the survey showed that very few employees actually used these measures when getting a job. Young people from Slavonia have the most negative attitude towards its implementation, and the most positive attitudes come from the City of Zagreb and Central Croatia, which is expected given the number of young people emigrating from Slavonia every year, but also because a large number of young people from all parts of Croatia pick up and move their lives to Zagreb,'' says the project manager.

Kundid: Statistics show a decrease in youth unemployment, but this is an illusion as many people are leaving the Republic of Croatia.

As a result, within the Kompas project, conferences were held in seven counties - Lika-Senj, Split-Dalmatia, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Karlovac, Bjelovar-Bilogora, Brod-Posavina and the City of Zagreb to introduce young people to active employment policy measures in Croatia and empowering young people to participate in the drafting of proposals for the adoption of the Youth Employment and Self-Employment Strategy.

“We had the greatest interest of young people to participate in the project from Brod-Posavina County, where representatives of the local government and CES were present. In Zagreb, they were accompanied by ministry representatives, which we commend. But in Lika-Senj, there was nobody, which is also a kind of message,'' Kundid said.

64.2 percent of young people in the survey admitted that they were not aware of the CES self-employment measures and what the Ministry of Labour is doing.

''With regard to youth misinformation, it's very important to promote Croatian employment measures at the municipal, city and county levels and to strengthen the cooperation of CES information centres, career counselling centres and educational institutions. The compulsory education of high school students on employment, especially for high school graduates, is important,'' said Jure Mihael Slavic, president of the City of Split's Youth Council.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more on Croatian employment measures.