Young People Without Jobs, Employers without Employees

By: Li Novak

Smederevska Palanka, Aug.7, 2009 ,(Serbia Today) - Smederevska Palanka is a small town, similar to other small towns in Serbia, with similar problems: unemployment, lack of opportunities for young people and a large number of bankrupt, state-run companies.
While many educated young people are unemployed, the adds "Worker needed" could often be seen posted on billboards along the main street.
Radomir Ivanovic is the director of the company "Mega Market“. He told Serbia Today about his experiences with the employment of workers, from the employer's point of view: "Our company has 55 employees, mostly salesmen and butchers. We are a successful company, and salaries are on the level of average or above it. However, it is not easy to find good employees."
In Ivanovic’s opinion, young people, through their education, are not well trained for the future profession and the usual working conditions. In few cases, the apprentice dropped out, after working for less than a month. On the other hand, there are workers who accept a job without asking any questions and they agree to all conditions, because they do not have any other source of income. Some complain about working conditions, says Ivanovic.
Certain number of workers are subsidized by the National Employment Service, but that is not enough to solve the problem, because some business profiles are insufficient. For example, in the records of National Employment Service there are not enough sales trainees for the city needs.
Both, employers and young people seeking jobs are unsatisfied. For some professions, for example psychology or philosophy, there are almost no business opportunities.
It seems that the biggest problem of all is low average wage. In most boutiques, kiosks and shops, one can earn only 10,000 RSD, which is not enough to stimulate a young man to work.
Jelena R. is a graduate psychologist. After graduation, she soon realized that in her hometown, Smederevska Palanka, there were no jobs in her line of work, so she found a job in another district. She travels more than a few miles to her work, every day. Milos M. lives in Smederevska Palanka, but works in Belgrade. He claims that there are not many young people who really want to work and that the problem is lack of effort. They are not motivated by existing working conditions, so they often remain at home, allowing parents to financially support them.
However, there are positive examples of young educated people who have successfully started their own businesses. If we want more of such examples, it is necessary to encourage and support the processing of good ideas.