Abstract
The main aim of this study is to analyse the employment and unemployment rates in the Western Balkans, looking particularly at youth (aged 18–24 years) unemployment in Kosovo. The results of the study show that unemployment in this age group is high and that labour market policies are also not appropriate. The empirical study was conducted during the pandemic (2020), but statistics for study needs were used from the period 2001–2019. It involved young people aged 18–24 and used data from various local and international institutions regarding the labour market for young people, labour market policy, etc. The study shows that in Kosovo, 48.7% of young people aged 18–24 are unemployed and that the most pronounced unemployment is among women. A significant proportion of the young population is unemployed (46.4%) and youth unemployment among females is higher (53.6%) compared to males (42.9%) (Kosovo Agency of Statistics, 2020b). Kosovo’s problem with youth unemployment is the result of poor economic development as well as inefficient labour market policies. The study recommends that policymakers develop sustainable and effective policies that will lead to stability in youth employment and improve the labour market performance. These policies should help organizations and businesses to increase the number of employees, but should also create long-term employment stability. Furthermore, a critical appraisal is necessary to avoid youth unemployment, instability in youth employment and labour market instability as a whole
Highlights
Unemployment is a multidimensional negative phenomenon that affects every human society
Following the progress over time of parameters such as employment and unemployment based on gender and the [15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24] age group, it can be seen that the trends are complex and the dependence is not evident
We test the links between the dependent variable and four independent variables: 1) Schooling, education, training; 2) Bankruptcy or the closure of a business; 3) Free days due to flexible working hours, and 4) Lack of time due to family obligations
Summary
Unemployment is a multidimensional negative phenomenon that affects every human society. It is considered to be a social phenomenon because of the effects it has on the social structure of society. Unemployment is the number of people in the labour force who want to work but who do not have a job, and the unemployment rate is calculated as the number of unemployed individuals divided by the number of individuals who are part of the workforce. The workforce consists of people who are able to work but excludes those who are retired, those who are incapacitated, and those who are able to work but are not currently looking for a position (Hall, 1979). Employment has always been one of the most important social issues because it affects the economic development of society and social stability. Unemployment is undoubtedly one of the main indicators of an economy
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