Jocović: Without investments in the north, there are no new jobs and prevention of migration

Without investments in the north, there are no new jobs and prevention of migration, said the dean of the Faculty of Economics, Mijat Jocović.

"Migration is a historical cycle and it happens in many countries. Young people are leaving Montenegro for several reasons, and one of the main ones is insufficient competitiveness of our economy, which will be a particular problem with EU membership," said Jocović at the Bjelopolje Business Forum.

That is why, as he stated, the competitiveness of the economy should be strengthened and in that way migrations, which cannot be completely prevented, should be mitigated.

"We have a deficit in the import of goods, and a surplus in the export of labor, and our personnel are not semi-finished products but finished products. We need to work to ensure that young people return and promote the examples of those who have done it", believes Jocović.

Speaking on the panel about human capital as the backbone of economic development - the challenge of labor outflow and ways to overcome it through education, he stated that investing in education is the most profitable and a condition for economic development.

"I think that the focus of policy makers should be on secondary vocational education, following the example of positive examples from the environment, especially Slovenia, which harmonized dual education with the needs of the labor market", said Jocović, adding that the solution of free higher education should be reconsidered, which is not gave adequate results.

The assistant director of the Employment Service (ZZZ), Aleksandar Rakočević, pointed out the complexity of the situation on the labor market, where there are about 40 unemployed people, many of whom do not meet the needs of employers.

He, as announced by the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG), believes that a big challenge is the unwillingness of the unemployed to move and not responding to the needs of the seasonality of our economy.

"Education is not fully aligned with the needs of the labor market. Dual education must be improved and the needs of employers must be taken into account even more", said Rakočević.

He said that we must improve the education system and the labor market.

"Secondary professional education is the foundation of society's development," Rakočević said.

Presenting the adult education programs implemented by the Institute, Rakočević pointed out that they have given good results in developing the skills of the people on their records.

"The interest of employers to participate in personnel training is increasing. It is necessary to develop key competencies, because education is improved by acquiring new skills," said Rakočević.

Jelena Vuletić, founder of Balance 2 business and member of the Board of Directors of Hipotekarna banka za riski, believes that the topic of human capital as the backbone of economic development is very important and that there is no economic progress without young people.

"It is necessary to prepare young people for the business environment through the improvement of their soft skills. Through our Student Business Hub program, more than 120 young people, students in their final year of college who want to improve and improve their knowledge and skills, have gone through it. Through the training we do with them, we coordinate, communicate, make decisions, develop critical thinking, and set priorities," said Vuletić.

She assessed that young people have insufficient self-confidence, the absence of a clear vision and goal is noticeable. In a very short period of time, they are eager for numerous different experiences.

"They stay for a short time, and the material side is also important to them," Vuletić added.

A businessman who has been engaged in private business in Bijelo Polje for over three decades, Muzafer Ljuca, presented his company Mikromont, which has 50 employees and a specific activity, because it offers products related to energy efficiency.

He made a review of everything that our country has been through since the collapse of the SFRY until today, which has had consequences on the economy.

"Doing business was extremely difficult, but fortunately we are still going, for which it was necessary to have a lot of courage. Unfortunately, institutions were disappearing in that whirlwind, and one of them is the education system. In the past, good schools produced great craftsmen who produced impressive results," Ljuca said.

According to him, the conditions for training new staff in specific occupations were getting worse.

"The primacy was taken by the desire for people to deal with jobs that did not create new values, and there was rarely a focus on the real economy," Ljuca said.

He stated that in such circumstances they were forced to manage and create education, seminars and training with the help of ZZZ in order to find qualified labor themselves.

"There is a constant "thirst" for highly skilled personnel, and this will certainly be a problem in the future," stated Ljuca.

He made a clear appeal to decision makers.

"I appeal to the state to stop being the largest employer in Montenegro. It is necessary to devote much more energy to the economy, which in the best way creates real values ​​and raises the standard", concluded Ljuca.