Kopaonik, March 4th, 2025 – Kopaonik Business Forum (KBF), one of the most important annual gatherings of the economic and business community in the region, provided a platform this year for a discussion on key labor market challenges and population trends. The panel “Population Trends and Labor Market: Challenges and Opportunities,” organized by UNDP and the National Employment Service, addressed strategies for tackling the issue of labor shortages in Serbia.
The event gathered leading experts in the fields of labor market, education, and economic development, including Milan Bosnić, Director of the National Employment Service, Marjana Davidović, General Director of Nestlé Adriatic Hub South, Vladimir Nikitović, Head of the Center for Demographic Research at the Institute of Social Sciences, and Uroš Živković, Program Director at Return Point. The discussion was moderated by Danijela Bobić Tasić, UNDP’s Economic Development Specialist, and the opening speech was delivered by Jakup Berish, UNDP’s Resident Representative.
The focus of the panel was on the challenges of labor shortages and ways to overcome them, with particular emphasis on aligning education with the labor market. The panelists agreed that it is crucial to develop policies that encourage innovation and attract investments, and the need to popularize occupations in sectors like agriculture, which have enormous growth potential through the application of new technologies, was highlighted.
It was concluded that successfully addressing labor market issues will require flexible and adaptable policies that will allow highly qualified workforce to be attracted to sectors with potential, while providing young people with clear opportunities for development in promising industries. Through such discussions, we continue to contribute to development of sustainable solutions that can improve the labor market and provide real opportunities for economic growth.
