NSZ: Around 20,000 people may be left jobless

BELGRADE - Around 20,000 people may be left jobless in 2015 in the search for a solution to the fate of restructuring companies and the National Employment Service of Serbia (NSZ) is willing to include them in the active employment policy measures, NSZ Director Zoran Martinovic stated on Monday.

Unlike in 2014 when around 6,000 people were covered in the active employment policy measures including persons with disabilities, their number in 2015 could exceed 30,000, Martinovic said.

The programme documents that will make room for public calls should be adopted in January and the calls could be issued in early February, he said.

RSD 2.8 billion worth of funds have been allocated for active employment policy measures in 2015, while the funds allocated for the implementation of programmes of measures targeting persons with disabilities add up to RSD 500 million, he said.

Martinovic expressed the expectation that local self-governments would contribute around RSD 500 million, and added that considerable funds have also been envisaged in the IPA training programmes.

Almost RSD 4 billion could be placed at our disposal, Martinovic said.

These are substantially higher funds compared to 2014 when around RSD 600 million were allocated to active employment policy measures and RSD 500 million were set aside for persons with disabilities.

Asked about the redundant employees that could potentially end up on the dole in 2015, Martinovic said that a number of social programmes have already been carried out this month and 4,000 to 5,000 people have already been included in the measures through the search for a solution to the problem of redundant employees, including those in restructuring companies.