Identifying the causes of long-term unemployment among older women in Serbia and North Macedonia
The project entitled Identifying the causes of long-term unemployment among older women in Serbia and North Macedonia was approved by the Visegrad Fund under the Visegrad + Grants Programming Scheme, based on the evaluations of the applications submitted during the second call in 2024. The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe. The project will be implemented for 18 months in Serbia and North Macedonia. The project will be implemented by a consortium consisting of the Institute of Economic Sciences, Serbia, the leading partner, and Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Institute of Economics-Skopje, North Macedonia, Institute of Economic Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia, and University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow, Faculty of Management, Poland.
Project description:
Women over 50 are recognized as a hard-to-place category in the employment policy framework of Serbia and North Macedonia, which enables them to participate in active labour market measures. Due to precarious employment and longer periods of previous unemployment, they have little chance of re-employment, which discourages them and increases their vulnerability. The aim of this project is to find out what prevents women over 50 from finding a job on the local labour market in the Belgrade and Skopje regions. Based on the experiences in Slovakia and Poland, a set of tools will be developed to assess their employability to better respond to existing employment opportunities.
Project implementation period: 01.10.2024-31.03.2026.
Project budget: €48,000.00
Project partners:
The leading partner, the Institute of Economic Sciences (IES), has proven experience in implementing similar projects. IES has conducted projects on the impact of employment support measures for vulnerable groups and provided expertise to the Ministry responsible for employment in the elaboration of the Employment Strategy. The IES is a renowned research institution with many national and regional contacts, including universities and scientific research organizations. Since its foundation in 1958, IES has been active in the fields of macroeconomics, international economics, environmental economics, welfare economics, innovation economics, economic history, digital transformation, and other related sub-disciplines. IES has developed cooperation with international organizations implementing projects funded by the GIZ, European Commission (ESF, JRC, HORIZON, INTERREG, COST actions), Bloomberg Foundation, UNDP, Visegrad Fund, and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The Institute of Economics-Skopje (IE-Skopje) is selected as a project partner because it has a significant role in the development of scientific and professional thought in the economic segment, through its contribution in the preparation of strategies, policies, and plans for the development of specific sectors in the economy of the Republic of North Macedonia. Hundreds of domestic and international research projects in different scientific fields, including the labour market, have been conducted. This indicates that throughout its long history of more than seven decades the Institute has created a solid foundation of scientific research. The Institute of Economics-Skopje has previous cooperation with the leading partner of this project in the realization of other projects, organizing scientific conferences, publishing journals together, and other joint activities.
Institute of Economic Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (IER SAS) collaborates with labour market policy institutions locally (Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Public Employment Services) as well as internationally (European Commission, OECD, CEDEFOP, European Training Fund) and with the business sector by providing analysis and consulting services related to the labour market. The combination of in-house research capacity and international network activities enables the Institute’s researchers to provide evidence-based policy research. IER SAS has been involved in multiple international projects in the field of labour market policies, such as impact evaluation studies, models for forecasting skills and occupations, and designing upskilling/reskilling policies.
The University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow (UITM) has an extensive infrastructure located in two campuses, including research facilities, computer laboratories, internet networks, conference, teleconference, and webinar infrastructure. The UITM strategy focuses on bringing together research, business, and education. In the years 1996–2023, the University has implemented over 150 projects with EU funding, both national and international, with a total grant amount exceeding 200 million PLN. These projects were financed by various programs and funds: ESF, ERDF, Lifelong Learning, Erasmus Plus, 7th Framework Program, Central Europe, Norwegian Funds. One of the main research areas of the Faculty of Management is labour and skills demand, vacancy market, and labour market matching using survey data, administrative data, and big data collected from the Internet, with the longest history of job offer research in Poland.
Project team members:
Kosovka Ognjenović, Project Leader, Institute of Economic Sciences
Elizabeta Djambaska, Institute of Economics-Skopje
Ewa Gałecka-Burdziak, SGHWarsaw School of Economics
Zoran Janevski, Institute of Economics-Skopje
Aleksandra Lozanoska, Institute of Economics-Skopje
Ivan Lichner, Ekonomický ústav SAV
Boban Nedeljković, Institute of Economic Sciences
Robert Pater, Wyższa SzkołaInformatyki i Zarządzania zsiedzibą w Rzeszowie
Irina Piperkova, Institute of Economics-Skopje
Miroslav Štefánik, Ekonomický ústav SAV
Valentina Vukmiović, Institute of Economic Sciences
Jovan Zubović, Institute of Economic Sciences
The project was introduced by the presentation of the project activities at a public event in Belgrade and Skopje
Presentation of the project at the Institute of Economic Sciences in Belgrade
On October 29, 2024, a round table was held at the Institute of Economic Sciences to announce the start of the implementation of the project “Identifying the causes of long-term unemployment among older women in Serbia and North Macedonia” financed by the International Visegrad Fund. At the round table, the Director of the Institute and member of the project team Dr. Jovan Zubović and the project leader Dr. Kosovka Ognjenović addressed the participants. They presented to the participants the objectives, activities and expected results of the project as well as the partners involved in the project.
The round table was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the National Employment Service. The event was also attended by representatives of the social partners, the trade union "Nezavisnost" and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, the Serbian Employers' Association, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, non-governmental organizations, academic organizations, international organizations and the media.
The topic of the round table attracted a great deal of attention from those present. Numerous questions were raised about the labour activity, qualifications and employment of women over 50 in Belgrade and Serbia.
Link to the event: https://ien.bg.ac.rs/index.php?pID=8597&lng=eng
Presentation of the project at the Institute of Economics – Skopje
On October 29, 2024 at the premises of the Institute of Economics – Skopje, the implementation of the project “Identifying the Causes of Long-Term Unemployment of Older Women in North Macedonia and Serbia” began. At this event, presentations were given by Prof. Dr. Zoran Janevski, Director of the Institute of Economics-Skopje and member of the research team, and Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Lozanoska, lead researcher for the project implementation in Skopje. Dr. Lozanoska has presented the project objectives and planned activities. She emphasized the importance of this project in identifying the challenges faced by unemployed women aged 50 and above, the underlying causes of their long-term unemployment, existing skills gaps and other relevant factors essential for developing effective strategies, programs and measures to improve their situation.
The event was attended by invited guests, including representatives from the Employment Service Agency of North Macedonia, the Ministry of Economy and Labour, the State Statistical Office, Ministry of Education, employer associations, NGOs addressing women’s issues, and other interested stakeholders.
Link towards the event:
https://www.ek-inst.ukim.edu.mk/%d0%b7%d0%b0%d0%bf%d0%be%d1%87%d0%bd%d1%83%d0%b2%d0%b0%d1%9a%d0%b5-%d0%bd%d0%b0-%d0%bc%d0%b5%d1%93%d1%83%d0%bd%d0%b0%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b4%d0%b5%d0%bd-%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b5%d0%ba%d1%82/
The first two focus groups were held in Belgrade and Skopje
Focus group with key actors in the field of employment held in Skopje
On March 27, 2025, the Institute of Economics – Skopje hosted a Focus Group bringing together key labour market stakeholders involved in shaping conditions to address unemployment among women aged 50 and above. The participants included representatives from relevant state institutions such as: the Ministry of Economy and Labour, the Employment Service Agency, the Ministry of Education, the State Statistical Office, and the Centre for Adult Education, as well as representatives from trade unions, employer associations, NGOs focused on women’s issues, and training centres offering skills development programs.
The discussion focused on several key topics:
- General labour market conditions, particularly for women aged 50 and above;
- Challenges and disadvantages faced by women in this age group;
- Existing policies and measures supporting women aged 50 and above;
- Potential new solutions, policies, and measures to improve the employment situation of women aged 50 and above.
The knowledge and experiences shared, along with the insights gained through discussions among Focus Group participants, will be of great importance in drafting the project’s final report, particularly in the section containing recommendations and proposals for improving the current situation regarding unemployment among women aged 50 and above.
Link towards the event: https://www.ek-inst.ukim.edu.mk/realizacija-na-proektot-identifikuvanje-na-pricinite-za-dolgorocna-nevrabotenost/
Focus group with key actors in the field of employment held in Belgrade
On 11 April 2025, the members of the project team organised the first focus group consisting of representatives of key stakeholders in the field of employment at the level of the Belgrade region. The focus group consisted of representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Office for Dual Education and the National Qualifications Framework, the National Employment Service, the Chamber of Commerce, the Employers' Association, the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration in Belgrade, the Office of the International Labour Organisation in Serbia and two non-governmental organisations dealing with employment and the well-being of women, "Žene na prekretnici" and " Snaga prijateljstva - Amity".
The focus group participants agreed on the main obstacles faced by women over 50 who want to integrate into the labour market, assessed the current situation and focused on some elements of labour demand by identifying possible jobs and sectors in Belgrade that could attract available workers in the coming period. They also pointed out administrative assumptions perceived by women with a potential entrepreneurial career as limitations and inconsistencies between sectoral policies to address the problem of long-term unemployment of less employable persons.
The next focus group will take place in September 2025 with representatives of long-term unemployed women aged 50 and older living in the Belgrade area.
Link to the event: https://ien.bg.ac.rs/index.php?pID=8608=eng
Data collection on the basis of a questionnaire
A survey on the long-term unemployed women aged 50 and over in the Belgrade area
As part of the implementation of the project activities, a survey was conducted among long-term unemployed women aged 50 and over living in the Belgrade area. The aim of the data collection with this survey is to capture the problems of these unemployed women more comprehensively in order to better understand the challenges they face, improve the support measures and propose concrete solutions in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders.
Recognising the importance of this issue, the Institute of Economic Sciences called on the National Employment Service to conduct in partnership the survey on the registered long-term unemployed women. This call led to cooperation between the Institute and the National Employment Service, and the Belgrade Branch Office will conduct this survey and collect the data needed for the research. The survey will be conducted in July and August 2025.
The survey will also be conducted via an online questionnaire. Link to the survey: https://www.soscisurvey.de/Folder2/?q=qnr3
A survey on the long-term unemployed women aged 50 and over in the Skopje area
As part of the project activities, a survey was developed targeting long-term unemployed women aged 50 and above residing in the territory of Skopje. The aim of this survey is to gain a more comprehensive understand of the problems these women are facing. It will give good basis to better comprehend the challenges they encounter, to improve support measures and propose concrete solutions in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders. Given the specific context in North Macedonia, where a significant proportion of unemployed women belong to the Muslim ethnic community, the survey was also translated into Albanian.
To ensure a more effective approach to this specific target group, the Institute of Economics – Skopje signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Employment Service Agency of North Macedonia, specifically its Skopje branch office. Their role will be to distribute the survey to registered long-term unemployed women aged 50 and above and to assist in collecting the data required for the project.
The survey will be conducted from July to September 2025 and will be available via an online questionnaire. Survey link: https://www.soscisurvey.de/nzmk/
Focus groups were held with uenmployed women in Belgrade and Skopje
Focus groups with unemployed women aged 50 and over held in Belgrade
A focus group with unemployed women aged 50 and over was held in Belgrade on 14 October 2025. The aim of this focus group, as one of the project's activities, was to assess the general situation and identify the specific obstacles faced by unemployed women in this age group in the Belgrade region. The group also aimed to evaluate the extent to which life circumstances and personal motivation can contribute to improving their status in the labour market, to assess the existing support measures intended for unemployed women over 50, and to highlight possible shortcomings and weaknesses of these measures. In addition to this focus group, another meeting with unemployed women aged 50 and over was held on 20 October 2025 with the same objectives.
The conclusions from the focus groups will form an integral part of the recommendations to be directed towards decision makers in the field of work and employment, and will also be forwarded to all other relevant actors for further discussion and the proposal of sustainable solutions.
Link towards the event: https://ien.bg.ac.rs/index.php?pID=8643&lng=eng
Focus group with unemployed women aged 50 and over held in Skopje
On October 28, 2025, a Focus Group was held at the Institute of Economics – Skopje with unemployed women from Skopje aged 50 and over. The aim of this focus group was to bring together women aged 50 and above who are long-term unemployed in the local labour market of Skopje. Through the discussion, the goal was to gain a better understanding of the reasons that make it difficult for women in this age group to find and keep a job, the factors influencing their motivation to seek employment, as well as the skills they lack for easier integration into the labour market.
The conversation focused on their personal experiences from previous employment and job-seeking processes, the obstacles they encountered when trying to get employed and their existing knowledge and skills, as well as how well these skills match the needs of local employers. The participants also discussed their experiences and expectations regarding the support provided by institutions and employers during the employment process. A specific objective of the discussion was to identify potential proposals for improving existing support measures for long-term unemployed women over 50, in order to convey them to relevant institutions and where possible, include them in national employment policies and measures.
Link towards the event: https://www.ek-inst.ukim.edu.mk/fokus-grupa-so-nevraboteni-zeni-od-skopje-na-vozrast-od-50-i-poveke-godini/
- Zmaj Jovina 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Phone: + 381 11 2623 055, + 381 11 2622 357
- Fax: + 381 11 2181 471
- Email: office@ien.bg.ac.rs
- Activity Code: 7220
- PIB: 100039204
- Identification number: 07041144
