As of the end of May, the Employment Service recorded 28,799 unemployed individuals, with 30 percent, or 8,441, being persons with disabilities. The unemployment rate stands at 9.91 percent, marking the lowest figure since the onset of its calculation by the Employment Service.

Among the unemployed, 11.4 thousand, or 40 percent, are categorized as unskilled or semi-skilled workers. There are 14.3 thousand unemployed individuals with high school diplomas, and 3,000 hold higher education degrees, including 225 with master’s degrees and 15 with doctorates.

Females represent 60 percent of the unemployed, totaling 17.3 thousand.

Additionally, 18,150 registered unemployed have been seeking jobs for over three years, constituting 63 percent of the total unemployed population. Of these long-term unemployed, 60 percent are women.

There are 4,000 unemployed individuals over the age of 60, with 50 thousand being between the ages of 50 and 59. Consequently, those over 50 years make up 38 percent of the total unemployed, with women constituting 57 percent of this demographic.

From the start of the year to the end of May, employers hired 4,686 individuals through the Employment Service. This total includes 700 unskilled or semi-skilled positions, 2,500 for secondary school occupations, and approximately 1,500 for college graduates, with 157 holding master’s degrees and five holding doctorates. Compared to the same timeframe last year, this marks an increase of 100 hires.

According to data from the Institute, most employment during this period occurred in the education sector (850), followed by trade (786), hospitality (662), manufacturing (328), administrative and support services (326), transportation and warehousing (286), government administration (269), and construction (266).

Employer requests indicate that the most in-demand job is for individuals without formal qualifications or education (those with only completed primary school). Employers sought 431 workers for this category.

Following this, assistant caterers and medical doctors were the second and third most requested professions, with 45 applications each. Employers also looked for 39 nurses, 37 maids and waiters, 36 health technicians and math teachers, 29 preschool teachers, 26 drivers and piano instructors, 24 receptionists and law graduates, 23 cooks, 20 construction ceramists, and 19 beverage servers.

Petnjica Surpasses Podgorica in “People with Disabilities”

During May, unemployed individuals registered with the Employment Service received benefits totaling two million euros, with 90 percent allocated to persons with disabilities. Benefits for this group are higher than for other unemployed individuals, ranging from 240 to 450 euros per month, in addition to pension contributions, which they can receive until retirement without needing to report to the Service for job searches.

Consequently, the municipalities with the largest number of officially recognized disabilities receive the most funding for these benefits.

Out of the two million euros allocated, the highest amounts went to Berane, totaling 463 thousand euros for 1,941 persons with disabilities, followed by Rožaje at 411 thousand euros for 1,739 individuals.

Additionally, 172 thousand euros were distributed in Bijelo Polje, which has 807 individuals with disabilities.

Although Podgorica has almost three times the population of Berane, Rožaje, and Bijelo Polje, the unemployed in the capital received just 132 thousand euros, accounting for only six percent of the total amount disbursed across the country, due to the limited number of 603 individuals with disabilities residing there.

Following Podgorica, Petnjica, one of the smallest municipalities, received 112 thousand euros, despite having slightly fewer residents with disabilities than Podgorica, totaling 433.

“Vijesti” has been reporting on fraudulent activities involving individuals with disabilities for three years. The commissions in Berane and Rožaje are issuing disability certificates at rates comparable to all other municipalities combined. This fraud results in the receipt of benefits from the Institute and other income sources linked to these claims, as well as the subsidizing of salaries for individuals with disabilities by up to 70 percent. The law does not impose any salary limits for employers, often leading to inflated reported salaries. Moreover, there is no statutory oversight to verify whether these individuals actually work or are merely employed for subsidy purposes.

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