From October 3rd to 5th 2024 a seminar entitled “The effects of labour shortage on the social position of the workers“ was held in Zagreb/Croatia. The seminar was organized by the Croatian Cultural Society „Napredak“ (HKD Napredak), with the support of EZA and was funded by the European Union. The seminar was attended by representatives of workers’ organizations from eight different countries including the host country. Nikola Čiča, president of HKD Napredak, addressed the audience in his opening speech, saying that the lack of labour in certain economic branches and the lack of certain professions, especially qualified workers, is something that is common to more or less all countries of the European Union and candidate countries. He emphasized that it was precisely for this reason that HKD Napredak decided to organize a seminar on this topic. In addition to the lack of qualified labour, the problem that builds on this is the migration of workers from less developed to more developed countries for economic reasons. And finally, the problem of employment and integration of foreign workers. This seminar will try to approach and give answers to all these questions, president Čiča concluded.
The introductory panel discussed the challenges, opportunities and limitations of the labour market. In this context, tourism was mentioned as one of the economic branches that is most affected by the lack of quality workforce. The example of Croatia was highlighted, where tourism is one of the main economic branches with a significant share in GDP. It was said that there is a constant shortage of workers, which at one time was filled with workers from the interior of the country and the region, but that now there is also a shortage of this workforce, so the import of workers from Asian countries is increasingly being practiced. This creates new problems related to the language barrier, expertise and culture of living. Participants from other countries mentioned similar problems related to the lack of labour force, especially the lack of some crafts professions, plumbers, carpenters, construction workers of all kinds. In the panel entitled “Programs to support the development of skills, training and education in the context of reducing the labour shortage,” it was discussed about programs of regular education, but also about the system of lifelong education and retraining, all in terms of improving working conditions. It was pointed out that the needs of the labour market have changed significantly in the last few years and that a large number of occupations have disappeared, while the need for new occupations caused by technological development has appeared. In addition, special emphasis is given to training programs for vulnerable groups and hard-to-employ workers. It was said that these are groups that normally receive insufficient attention, but the trends in the European Union are such that this situation is changing for the better. There was also talk about the problems of workers with disabilities, because their workplaces are often not adapted to the needs of their disability and they are employed much less often, even though they have all the professional and educational predispositions. In addition, this block of presentations was primarily devoted to the problems of women in employment and the working community, which women face despite their legal rights, and which relates to gender discrimination in society. One of the topics discussed was the impact of improving working conditions on workforce attraction/retention. The participants pointed out that one of the key roles of the trade union is to increase its influence on employers and governments in order to ensure better working conditions - higher wages, a better working environment, the possibility of advancement, better protection at work..., all with the aim of workers remaining in their domicile countries, especially young workers. The reasons for emigration of the domestic workforce are economic and political. Workers leave mostly because of politics, corruption and nepotism as well as poor social services (health and education). The problem of inability to find suitable and well-paid employment is often a secondary factor. Through an open discussion, the representatives of the employers presented a number of problems they face in keeping the existing workforce, preventing the local population from emigrating, and addressing the issues related to the workforce coming from other countries with lower economic standards, whose presence is essential for the functioning of the labour market.
On the second day of the seminar, it was pointed out that depopulation in Europe was discussed at some previous seminars, but this problem cannot be avoided in this seminar either. It turned out that this is one of the most serious problems faced by both European Union countries and non-member countries, which was partly caused by the increase in the standard of living and the reduced number of children in families, the struggle for advancement in the business careers of women and the search for better jobs in other countries. Population migration from poor countries leads to changes in the composition of the population, which causes a number of new problems in the collision of different cultures. Data for individual countries were presented, which are not encouraging at all. For example, in Croatia, a research has shown that a third of young and educated people intend to move out of Croatia after finishing high school or college. It was said that the situation is not better in the neighbouring countries either.
In the end, the conclusion of all participants is that additional efforts should be made by all social partners in order to ensure better conditions for workers. This will certainly contribute to the retention of the domestic workers. On the other hand, more order should be made in the legislature of the candidate countries regarding the employment of foreign workers, because there are many undefined things that lead to disorder and the reduction of the labour rights of both foreign and domestic workers. The conclusion is that this and similar seminars are a good way to exchange opinions and find better solutions to these issues.