Young people in Montenegro have a hard time finding their place in society, and it is even harder when they are not employed, in training or in the education process. This subgroup is called NEET youth, and institutions and state support systems often do not recognize them.
After graduating from the Faculty of Economics, AK from Bar, she changed several jobs, but none of them were in her field. The company where she was doing her internship did not keep her, but replaced her with a new intern, and she says that she then worked in distribution, markets, boutiques...
Low salaries, poor working conditions and inappropriate treatment from employers are just some of the reasons she gave in response to the question of why she is currently between jobs. She wants to work and says that she applies for vacancies almost every few days, but that most of the offers are minimum wage and that her degree is a difficult factor for her to find jobs outside her field.
"I finished my master's degree, I didn't want to continue or enroll in something new just because I don't have a job right now because that also requires expenses and I think it's just postponing the problem. Many people advise me to enroll in a nail or hairdressing course until I get my bearings because the earnings are great, but right now I'm not attracted to it," she told "Vijesti".
She says she thought the Vocational Training Program would be her stepping stone to the job market, but, as she describes it, it was just a “temporary fix.”
After that, she was left to her own devices in her job search, from job advertisements to "worker wanted" signs in shop windows.
Girls have it harder.
It is especially difficult for women and girls, AK believes, because the expectation of marriage and fulfillment in the role of mother in the eyes of others is becoming increasingly short-lived. Instead of solutions or help, they are "pushing" her towards marriage and starting a family.
"I feel like my friends who are in the same position are all supporting me, even offering help in starting their own businesses because they believe that a man with a college degree shouldn't be doing manual labor. They mostly think that I'm wasting my time because I certainly won't work if and when I get pregnant," the interviewee told "Vijesti".
She is not the only one in this position, and five girls besides AK did not want to speak on this topic because, as they said, they do not want to expose themselves in this way. They state that they think they are at a disadvantage in terms of employment because "the situation is simply difficult throughout the country."
Strategy does not know them
Strategic documents of the Government of Montenegro and line ministries generally do not recognize NEET youth, and neither does the Youth Strategy. Special emphasis is placed on elementary and secondary school students, youth with disabilities and other vulnerable categories, but NEET youth are not recognized as a separate category.
NGO Forum MNE, among other things, is engaged in mapping and developing programs that will respond to the needs of a specific group of young people who are not employed, not in education or training - NEET youth (not in employment, education or training).
From that organization, they appeal to the competent institutions to work through a multisectoral approach to continuously provide an adequate support system for this vulnerable category of young people.
The situation analysis "NEET youth in Montenegro" prepared by the MNE Forum states that the Montenegrin economy in the period 2021-2022 was recovering strongly from the decline in GDP recorded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The economy, especially during the summer months, is unable to find a sufficient number of workers, so employers are increasingly looking for workers outside Montenegro. However, according to data from 2022, despite this, around 32 young people in Montenegro are not working or in education, cannot find employment or are not looking for it at all (NEET). Their activation represents one of the biggest challenges for public policies," they assessed.
The aging population, the emigration of young people, and the decreasing number of people of working age require the inclusion of this group of young people in the labor market. However, state institutions often do not reach this population group or cover only a small part of it - mainly those who are actively seeking employment.
The legislative framework that deals with youth issues in Montenegro is defined through the Law on Youth. Although it does not recognize NEET youth as a separate category, nor does it directly address the issue of employment, it is significant because it regulates the manner of determining and implementing youth policy, as well as measures and activities that are undertaken with the aim of improving the social position of young people and creating conditions for the realization of their needs, says the MNE Forum.
Lack of action plans
The law defines youth as “persons aged 15 to 30”. At the local level, support for youth is regulated by local action plans (LAPs) for youth. In 2021, all 24 Montenegrin municipalities had a LAP or local youth strategy. Although the prescribed measures were aimed at increasing the employment and education levels of young people, which certainly also affects the NEET population, NEET youth are most often not singled out as a separate category to focus on.
"The shortcomings of the given solution are also supported by the fact that 13 municipalities did not indicate how much funding they intend to allocate for the implementation of the LAP, whether it has been provided at all, or whether it will be provided from the municipal budget or through a donation. Furthermore, since the employability of NEET youth largely depends on the quality of the skills they acquire within formal education, it is important to mention the strategic documents related to this area," the analysis states.
Future interventions of the state administration in terms of public policies should focus on faster implementation of ongoing reforms of the legislative framework and program policies, including the expansion of children's education, the reform of vocational education and training (outcome-based curriculum, adaptation of three-year dual education programs, expansion of learning through practical work for four-year programs). Reorganization of the adult training system, including the offer of the Adult Employment Agency, as well as the introduction of career education and guidance at all levels of the education system, said the organization that deals with the situation of youth in Montenegro.
A percentage higher than in the rest of Europe
The percentage rate of NEETs in the total youth population correlates with general trends in the Montenegrin economy. Namely, in the period from 2015 to 2018, the NEET rate slightly decreased - from 23,4 percent to 21 percent, according to research by Forum MNE.
After that, this indicator increases to a maximum of 26,6 percent of the total youth population in 2020, which corresponds to the decline in the Montenegrin economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following year was marked by stagnation - the NEET rate was 26,5 percent.
A significant drop in the NEET rate was recorded in 2022, which was a year of economic recovery. According to the ARS data for that year, the NEET population accounted for slightly less than a quarter of the total youth population, or 23,2 percent, which makes up about 32.200 young people aged 15 to 29.
For comparison, EUROSTAT data for 2022 shows that the average NEET rate in the EU is 11,7 percent, while the worst performers are Romania (19,8 percent) and Italy (19 percent).
At the same time, when it comes to the countries with which Montenegro borders, EUROSTAT has data from 2022 only for Croatia and Serbia, and in these two countries the NEET rate of youth is lower than in Montenegro - Croatia recorded a rate of 2022 percent in 13,3, and Serbia recorded a rate of 15,1 percent.
"Every tenth NEET person in Montenegro is discouraged, i.e. believes that they do not have enough opportunities or skills for employment," is one of the conclusions reached by the MNE Forum during the analysis.
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