Suchergebnisse

The paper analyzes the characteristics of the labor market in Croatia, the changes in the demographic potential of the working-age population, and the structural determinants of the labor system. The movement of the number of able-bodied, active and inactive population from 2013 until today, points to a trend of decreasing the able-bodied contingent, economic activity and unemployment of the population, and an increase in employment. The analysis showed that the structural problems on the labor market in Croatia are an insufficiency of educational staff, structural unemployment, youth unemployment, and the mismatch between the supply and demand of jobs. Such characteristics of the work system influenced the movement of the determinants of external migration in Croatia, especially after 2013. Simultaneously with the strengthening of emigration, the number of immigrated persons also increases, so that from 2013 to 2022, their number amounted to about 195 thousand of mostly foreign citizens. We can establish that we are talking about free economic migrations and an increased inflow of labor, mostly unskilled workers, which makes up for the lack of domicile workforce.Structural-selective unemployment in Croatia can be analyzed on a general level according to age groups and according to education, and on a specific level, through indicators of the skills mismatch on the labor market. The total unemployment rate in Croatia has experienced a significant decline since 2013, and current unemployment is the lowest in the youngest working age, and the highest in the age over 40. Compared to 2013, the share of unemployed persons with primary and lower secondary education in Croatia is continuously decreasing, the share of unemployed persons with upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education levels is slightly falling (with frequent oscillations), while the share of unemployed persons with tertiary education is increasing. Problems on the labor market in Croatia have been noticeable after the global economic crisis of 2008 and its high unemployment, and in the last ten years also in the areas with a low level of economic activity of the population and a lack of domestic labor for the functionality of certain sectors of activity.On the other hand, the structure of the emigrant contingent, in which the young and able-bodied population predominates, points to the outflow of labor force of medium and high qualification levels. The review of research on recent emigration confirms the complex conditionality of leaving Croatia, and among the main factors a group of economic ones arising from the macroeconomic situation and structural deficiencies in the labor market stands out. In addition to economic factors, other types of factors are strengthening, which is why the continuation of the emigration of the Croatian population and the immigration of the foreign population are likely to be expected. The isolated and presented indicators and trends point to the complexity of the relationship between economic and labor factors, contemporary migration patterns and demographic characteristics of the resident population, in accordance with previous theoretical and empirical knowledge.

The paper aims to analyse the determinants of international migration among the Croatian population in the recent period following Croatia's entry into the European Union in 2013, with a special focus on the increased immigration to Croatia. The fundamental assumption is that, in addition to emigration from Croatia, the immigration of foreign workers to Croatia is also on the rise. This influx is primarily from economically less developed Asian and African countries. Meanwhile, immigration from the traditional workforce pool, the area of Southeastern Europe, is decreasing significantly. However, this region remains relatively the dominant source of migrants. Workforce immigration to Croatia has been singled out as a separate research unit, which not only examines the scale and basic characteristics of "foreigners" in Croatia but also provides an overview of the factors conditioning the existing relations within the labour market in Croatia. Demographic trends at the state level have significantly affected changes in the working-age and active population in Croatia. This includes a reduction in the work potential of the resident population. In addition to these established changes, other challenges in the labour market, primarily educational and profile-related, can be singled out. In addition to the reduction in the number of the working-age population, there is a structural mismatch between the current supply and demand for jobs. This mismatch results in either a shortage or a surplus of workers in certain industries, consequently contributing to the overall increase in general unemployment among the resident population and/or the need to compensate for the lack of labour through "import". In 2015, Croatia experienced a very high unemployment rate, close to 43%, among young people up to the age of 25. This figure was twice as high as the average for EU member states. Additionally, there was a significant number of young people in Croatia who were not active in the labour market. Despite having no obstacles and not being included in the education and/ or training system, these individuals were not actively seeking employment either (Obadić, 2017). The total number of persons who immigrated to Croatia from 2016 to 2022 slightly exceeds 220,000, with 70% of them being foreigners. Furthermore, a much faster relative increase in the immigration of foreign citizens was observed compared to the immigration of Croatian citizens, especially in 2021 and 2022. The relative share of 84% of immigrants of working age confirms the assumption that it is primarily a question of workforce migration. This statistical evidence suggests that the arrival of foreigners to work in Croatia constitutes a significant portion of this migration. According to the total number of foreigners who immigrated to Croatia and their country of origin, three geographical areas stand out: other European countries (countries outside the EEA) with almost 67%, Asian countries (14,35%) and European Union countries with 13,66%. The largest relative increase in immigration was registered from Asia. However, in absolute terms, more than 105,000 foreigners immigrated to Croatia from other European countries, primarily from BiH, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, etc. (2016–2022). The analysis of external migration from 2016 to today indicates a number of changes in migration processes, including their character, nature, volume, etc. They will affect the main sources of foreign labour in Croatia, signalling the beginning of the substitution of the traditional, regional labour pool with new emitting areas, i.e. workers from economically disadvantaged Asian and African countries. In 2021, the majority of foreigners, accounting for 35%, immigrated to the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County, while 37% chose the six "Adriatic" counties, mostly Split-Dalmatia, Istria, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Although foreign immigration is significantly lower in other counties, the noteworthy achievement of a positive migration balance "with foreigners" in all counties in 2021 confirms the assumption that this determinant will increasingly impact the total balance of counties with foreign countries. In the last three years, slightly more than 31,000 requests from citizens of EEA member states for temporary residence in Croatia were approved. However, based on the purpose of stay, only 7,000 requests were approved for work in Croatia. From 2017 to 2020, 26,500 people met the conditions for permanent residence in Croatia, predominantly Germans, Slovenians, Italians and Austrians of retirement age who are extensively investing in real estate along the Adriatic. In conclusion, it should be noted how the two characteristic processes of increased immigration to Croatia in the last 5 years differ. The immigration of foreigners from non-European countries is primarily related to labour force migration, which is still in its early stages. On the other hand, there is the specific immigration of citizens of EU member states who, in their retirement age, immigrate to Croatia without work potential. The absolute and relative relations between these two groups will ultimately affect the total migration balance of "foreigners"