Kosovo: new country, old problems - dealing with poverty, unemployment and education (original) (raw)

The job crisis in Kosovo: an assessment of the country's employment policy

Employment Policies in South-East Europe , 2012

"Unemployment is one of the major challenges that every Kosovo government has faced. Today the unemployment level has reached staggering figures of between 39% and 48%, depending on the source. With only 25% of the working age group employed, Kosovo has the lowest employment in Europe. The public sector remains the highest employment agency with more than 70,000 people. Although the number of registered private firms has constantly increased, the informal sector remains very strong. Around 30% of overall businesses operate in the informal economy. Even though a social assistance programme exists, due to the tight fiscal space it has low coverage, leaving over 60% of the poor out of reach. Around 30,000 people join the labour market every year and the number of those who reach retirement age is much lower. With such an increasing number of job seekers and with little work opportunities, the government should seriously think about a more efficient active and passive employment policy. Reviewing Employment Strategy 2010-2012 should be the starting point. "

THE ECONOMIC POLICY TRENDS IN KOSOVO, CHALLENGES AND GROWTH

Abstract In the context of slow economic growth in recent years and fiscal pressures, Kosovo is faced with the complex challenge of unemployment, which still remains at a high level. The demand for labor is still very low and establishment of a favorable environment that would create sustainable jobs will be a challenging task that requires reforms in the economic policy. Hence, this paper addresses one of the deepest challenges of Kosovo that is domestic economic capacity to generate economic growth. By analyzing the economic factors affecting economic development, this paper identifies barriers and though discusses real opportunities for a better economic growth pattern to finaly highlight the recomendations. Keywords: labor market, economic growth, economic challenges, sustainable development. JEL classification: M1, Q01, Q5

Lirim Lani, Kastriot Gjocaj - Socio – economic consequences of unemployment in Kosovo 2008-2012

Unemployment in Kosovo brought a lot of consequences; however the main consequences are emphasized in socio – economic ground. We will elaborate the economic and social consequences in this work. The greatest consequences that unemployment brought in social aspect during the period 2008-2012 are mainly emphasized on the increase of criminality on the young population, significant migration which is being seen as the only and inevitable opportunity to a good economic solution. The greatest consequences of unemployment from the economic ground are emphasized on direct investments of Kosovo Government, increase of the expenses for social cases, decrease of investments on education and agriculture, decrease of GDP per capita, increase of budgetary deficit and trade deficit also it has influence on the decrease of economic investments from remittances. Key words: Criminal potential, Migration, Education, Agriculture, Remittances, GDP.

Economic Development in Kosovo, The Current Situation

Journal of World Science, 2023

The purpose of this research is to understand and analyze the economic development in Kosovo. The research method used in this study is a literature review with a comparative approach. The results of this research indicate that the state of Kosovo, since its establishment as a legal entity, has formulated rules for its optimal functioning and development, with a special focus on the Economic sector. It is not coincidental that a particular emphasis is given to the Economic sector, as a well-developed economy correlates with a advanced nation. First and foremost, the economy is the best reflection of a nation, and through it, one can gauge the financial capacity of a country and the extent to which its workforce is developed. Considering that the economy forms the foundation of a stable and functional state, strategies are devised for its development. This involves analyzing and evaluating all efforts that can influence the country's economic growth. Therefore, the analysis of the economic situation begins at the central level, and then shifts the focus to the local level, determining which cities can contribute more to economic development. Statistical data on the economic conditions at the local level are based on the geographical area and the population of the municipalities. As a result, in terms of population and geographical area, the municipality of Prizren ranks second among municipalities.

KOSOVO ON THE ROUTE TO A MARKET ECONOMY

At the beginning of the 21st century Kosovo’s GDP per capita amounted to only 30% of pre-transition level. Half of the working age population was unemployed and half of the people have been living in poverty. Reconstruction of the economy began in 1999 with the help of international community. Between 1999 and 2001 the economy reportedly recorded positive growth, but it dropped after. Growth has been volatile and very dependant on foreign assistance, which has come from remittances (on average around 14% of GDP) and donor assistance (23% of GDP). Therefore, future GDP development may also be significantly affected by the UNMIK withdrawal strategy, given that domestic economic base is still very low and reconstruction is not yet over. The optimal framework of reforms in Kosovo should focus on self-generated engines of growth that would decrease their dependency on international donations. The main problem remains underdeveloped financial system with low credit volume, short maturities and high lending interest rates. Kosovo’s unresolved political status creates externalities that individual banks and financial institutions cannot internalize. The authority should focus their efforts on strengthening the legal system to protect creditors’ rights and nurture a credit culture, establishing a regulatory framework for external auditing and accounting standards. Enforcing anti-money-laundering law will reinforce the public’s growing trust in the banks.

Unemployment in Kosovo in the Last Ten Years 2002-2012

Unemployment is defined as by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as people who do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the past four weeks, and are currently available for work. Also, people who were temporarily laid off and are waiting to be called back to that job are included in the unemployment statistics. Those who have not looked for work within the past four weeks are not only no longer counted among the unemployed, they are also removed from the labor force by the BLS. Most people leave the labor force when they retire, go to school, have a disability that keeps them from working, or have family responsibilities. However, even people who would like to work are excluded if they aren't actively looking for work. Unemployment is an important statistic used by the government to gauge the health of the economy. If unemployment gets too high (around 6% or more), the government will try to stimulate the economy and create jobs. This paper will address the causes of unemployment in the region of Kosovo, Nationally, unemployment is caused when the economy slows down, and businesses are forced to cut costs by reducing payroll expenses. Unemployment can also be caused by competition in specific industries or companies. Advanced technology, such as computers or robots, cause unemployment by replacing worker tasks with machines. The study will be carried out in the region of Kosovo. It will also have its basis in a series of data from various institutions Kosovos. We will deliver questionnaires citizens to know arysen why are not employed and are still waiting to be changes in this respect. Will develop research for finding new programs for the elimination of unemployment. This paper investigates how macroeconomic policy shocks in Kosovo affect the total unemployment and provides evidence on the differential responses of the unemployment by sectors of economic activity. Will present the results of which sector is the largest number of unemployed in the region of Kosovo, which is the strategy of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and transport to alleviate unemployment.In this paper we present a model of countries in the region that has applied a macroeconomic policy for reducing unemployment.