SMAILBEGOVIĆ: FBiH HAS THE MOST UNFAVOURABLE EMPLOYEES - PENSIONERS RATIO

SARAJEVO, MAY 29 /SRNA/ – Approximately 40,000 workers are lacking in the FBiH to maintain existing work processes, while experts point out that an additional 200,000 workers are needed to preserve the pension insurance system, said businessman and member of the FBiH Economic and Social Council Adnan Smailbegović.

Smailbegović pointed out that the labour shortage issue is no longer exclusively an economic issue, but a matter affecting the functioning of the entire social system, including the pension and healthcare sectors, reads a statement from the FBiH Association of Employers. "If we do not have enough employed people, in the long term there will be no one to fill pension funds, finance the healthcare system, and drive the country’s economic development. We must speak about this openly and without embellishing reality," Smailbegović stressed. The statement emphasizes that the FBiH currently has one of the most unfavorable ratios between the number of employed persons and pensioners in Europe, as available data indicate that there are only about 1.15 employed workers per pensioner, while the European average is around 1.7, and some European economies have more than three workers per pensioner. Smailbegović also warned about the continuous emigration of the working-age population, especially young people, who are leaving BiH due to a lack of prospects. According to him, there is a need for systematic reindustrialization and stronger development of production capacities. He emphasized that industry plays a central role in economic development because it directly generates the largest number of jobs and drives a chain of other activities, from transport and logistics to energy and services. "Reindustrialization is not a matter of one industry or one sector. A single factory does not only create jobs within its own facilities, but also drives the entire local economy," Smailbegović stated.