Publication: Are Skills Constraining Growth in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Date
2009-12-01
ISSN
Published
2009-12-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The shortage of skills sought by key
export-oriented and import competing industries in Bosnia
and Herzegovina (henceforth, 'BH') is substantial
and if left unaddressed, threatens to constrain future
economic growth of the country. Prior to the onset of the
global economic crisis, BH enjoyed strong rates of economic
growth based to a significant degree on the growth of
exports. On average, exports grew at an impressive 34
percent per year between 1995 and 2008. Our analysis
however confirms that the growth of exporting, as well as
import-competing industries is increasingly becoming
constrained by the shortage of skills in the labor force.
In this report we seek to identify these shortages and their
likely causes and recommend reforms and policies which can
prevent the plummeting of economic growth due to lack of
adequate skills. Firm-level evidence confirms that the
shortage of qualified workers is becoming a serious obstacle
to growth of BH exporting companies. This report
investigates what types of skills firms are looking for and
are not finding in the marketplace. The policy
recommendation section of this study seeks to provide ideas
and direction for the BH government to address these labor
market challenges.
Citation
“World Bank. 2009. Are Skills Constraining Growth in Bosnia and Herzegovina?. © World Bank. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/3186 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”