Bijelo Polje, (MINA-BUSINESS) – Dean of the Faculty of Economics Mijat Jocovic has said that new jobs cannot be created and migrations prevented without investments in the northern region.

“Migrations are a historical cycle, and they occur in many countries. Young people are leaving Montenegro for different reasons, one of the main being the insufficient competitiveness of our economy, which will be a particular problem with EU accession,” said Jocovic at the Bijelo Polje Business Forum.

He said that it was, therefore, necessary to strengthen the competitiveness of the economy and mitigate migrations in that way, since they could not be entirely prevented.

“We have a trade deficit in goods and a surplus in the export of labour, and our workforce is not semi-finished products but finished products. We need to work on bringing back young people and promote role models of those who have done so,” said Jocovic.

Deputy Director of the Employment Office Aleksandar Rakocevic highlighted the complexity of the labour market situation, saying that there were around 40,000 unemployed people who, to a large extent, did not match the needs of employers.

According to a press release issued by the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG), he believes that a significant challenge is posed by the lack of readiness among the unemployed for mobility and their inability to meet the demands of seasonality in our economy.

Founder of Balance 2 Business and a member of the Management Board of Hipotekarna banka in charge of risk management, Jelena Vuletic, believes that the topic of human capital as the cornerstone of economic development is very important and that there can be no economic progress without young people.

“It is necessary to prepare young people for business environment by enhancing their soft skills. Our Student Business Hub programme has been attended by over 120 young people who are in their final year of college and eager to improve and enhance their knowledge and skills,” stated Vuletic.

Muzafer Ljuca, a businessman with over three decades of experience in private business in Bijelo Polje, presented his company Mikromont, which employs 50 workers and specializes in a unique field, offering products related to energy efficiency.

“Doing business has been very difficult, but fortunately, we are still here, which required a lot of courage. Unfortunately, in this turbulent environment, institutions were disappearing, and one of them was the educational system. Once excellent schools used to produce skilled craftsmen who produced impressive results,” said Ljuca.

According to him, the desire to engage in activities that did not create new value has lately taken precedence, and there has been little focus on the real economy.

Ljuca said that, in such circumstances, it was necessary to rely on the Employment Office and develop professional development programmes, seminars, and training activities to obtain qualified workforce.