Category: NEWS
Georgia hits record employment rates
The Ministry of Economy of Georgia reported that the country had a record-breaking low unemployment rate in 2024, marking a 2.5% drop to 13.9%. In other words, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 34,700, totaling 227,000. Naturally, the employment rate also hit a historic high, with an increase of 67,900, marking the overall employed […]
Read moreJobless rate in Serbia rises to 8.9% in Q4
As the statistical office said on Friday, Serbia’s unemployment rate rose by 0.7 percentage points (pp) quarter-on-quarter to 8.9% in the last three months of 2025.
According to a statement of the statistical office, the increase of the jobless rate in the review period is 0.3 pp, compared with the fourth quarter of 2024.
Previously, the employment rate reached 50.5% in October-December, down by 0.8 pp quarter-on-quarter and lower by 0.9 pp on the year.
Also, the statistical office reported that there were 2,828,200 employed and 276,900 unemployed people in the country in the fourth quarter of 2025.
In total, Serbia’s active population aged 15 and over in the period under review, stood at 3.1 million, while total population of the country was 5.6 million.
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Read moreSkilled Migrants will become the focus of Kazakhstan’s new migration policy
A more pragmatic migration policy aligned with the needs of the national economy is Kazakhstan’s choice nowadays. As a result, attracting in-demand highly skilled professionals and encouraging internal migration to regions experiencing labor shortages are priorities of Migration Policy Concept through 2030, newly approved by the government.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection reports that the number of foreign labor migrants in Kazakhstan reached 16,100 in 2025.
According to Minister of Labor Askarbek Yertayev, assessment of the professional qualifications of foreign workers will have a greater importance. So, specialists with relevant education, work experience, and competencies will have priority in the domestic labor market. They expect the share of skilled workers among labor migrants to increase to 95% by 2030.
Notably, a pilot project on the digital platform migration Enbek.kz has been launched by the ministry to support these objectives. They will introduce a comprehensive scoring system to evaluate applicants when issuing permanent residence permits and granting kandas status, a designation for ethnic Kazakhs returning to their historical homeland.
Also, revising fees for hiring foreign labor, tightening regulation of private employment agencies, and formally integrating the digital scoring mechanism into migration decision-making processes are included in a draft law.
Official data reports that the government has set a quota for attracting foreign workers at 0.25% of the total national workforce in 2026.
However, China, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and India remain the main countries of origin for officially employed foreign nationals.
Simultaneously, measures to manage internal migration are being strengthening. This made 14.7% of participants in state-supported interregional resettlement programs relocate to northern regions of the country in 2025.
Another negative effect is exacerbation of territorial imbalances, because young people from less economically developed regions prefer to relocate to major cities such as Almaty and Astana.
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Read moreA wartime labour market: The case of Ukraine
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has generated one of the largest labour supply and reallocation shocks in recent history. This column reveals, however, that job matching efficiency in the country has declined only modestly, with evidence of labour market shutdowns only along the frontline and in occupied regions. Mobilisation of underrepresented groups, […]
Read moreSerbia’s jobless rate rises to 8.9% in Q4
Serbia’s unemployment rate rose by 0.7 percentage points (pp) quarter-on-quarter to 8.9% in the last three months of 2025, the statistical office said on Friday. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2024, the jobless rate rose by 0.3 pp in the review period, the statistical office said in a statement. In October-December, the employment rate […]
Read moreKazakhstan to Focus on Skilled Migrants in New Migration Policy
Kazakhstan is shifting toward a more pragmatic migration policy aligned with the needs of the national economy. The government’s newly approved Migration Policy Concept through 2030 prioritizes attracting in-demand highly skilled professionals and encouraging internal migration to regions experiencing labor shortages. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the number of foreign labor […]
Read moreGeorgia to introduce work permit system for foreign workers from March 1
Synopsis Georgia is introducing a mandatory work permit for most foreign workers from March 1, 2026, ending the current informal system. Employers must advertise vacancies before applying. Existing foreign workers have until January 1, 2027, to comply. This move aims to enhance labor market oversight and curb illegal employment, with penalties for non-compliance. Georgia will […]
Read moreLong-term residence in the Czech Republic: new requirements for Ukrainians and stricter integration criteria
The Czech Republic is tightening the conditions for Ukrainians to obtain long-term residence and is placing an emphasis on economic self-sufficiency. Find out what new requirements the government is setting and who will be eligible for special status The Czech government is changing its approach to Ukrainian refugees and plans to tighten the requirements for […]
Read moreEBRD supports small business growth and digital transformation in Serbia
€40 million to support Serbian SMEs, focusing on green finance and regional outreach €10 million to drive digital transformation and automation of local businesses, backed by EU incentives The finance package promotes innovation, competitiveness and gender inclusion in Serbia’s SME sector The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is strengthening the competitiveness and resilience […]
Read moreKazakhstan to transform social sector through digitalization
Kazakhstan aims to secure employment for 547,700 citizens in 2026, as was announced on Tuesday, Qazinform News Agency reports. Aida Balayeva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information, chaired an expanded board meeting of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. The attendees included Minister of Labor and Social Protection […]
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