Serbia's unemployment rate fell to 8.3% in April

Serbia’s survey-based unemployment rate stood at 8.3% in April 2026, according to Labour Force Survey data the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia published on 28 May. That is a drop of 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter and 1.2 percentage points from the same month in 2025.

The employment rate rose to 51.8%, the highest level since the office adopted the Eurostat methodology in 2008.

Headline labour market indicators

The April survey covered a representative sample of about 26,500 households. The results show a continued employment uptrend that has now run for eight consecutive quarters.

Key indicators for April 2026:

• Total employment: 2,940,000
• Unemployed: 265,000
• Activity rate (population aged 15 and over): 56.5%
• Employment rate (population aged 15 and over): 51.8%
• Survey unemployment rate: 8.3%
• Registered unemployed (National Employment Service): 412,500

The gap between the survey rate (8.3%) and the registered figure reflects the Eurostat methodology, which counts all active jobseekers regardless of formal registration.

Unemployment by age group

Youth joblessness remains a structural concern. People aged 15 to 24 face a rate of 21.6%, nearly three times the headline level.

The breakdown by age group:

• 15 to 24: 21.6%
• 25 to 34: 9.2%
• 35 to 44: 6.1%
• 45 to 54: 5.8%
• 55 to 64: 7.4%

The Director of the Statistical Office, Miladin Kovacevic, told Tanjug on 28 May what was driving the figures.

The decline in the overall unemployment rate reflects employment growth in information technology, logistics and manufacturing, where the number of jobs has risen by 78,500 over the past four quarters.

Sector breakdown of new hiring

The Statistical Office data show employment growth over the past twelve months distributed across sectors as follows:

• Information technology: up 18,300 (7.2%)
• Logistics and transport: up 16,800 (5.4%)
• Manufacturing: up 23,400 (3.9%)
• Construction: up 8,900 (4.8%)
• Retail and wholesale: up 11,100 (2.6%)
• Other sectors: combined loss of 4,500

The decline in the “other sectors” category mainly reflects public administration and traditional service activities.

Regional disparities

The highest unemployment rate was recorded in South and East Serbia, the lowest in the Belgrade region. The Statistical Office’s chief statistician Vesna Davidovic quantified the gaps in an addendum to the release.

The unemployment rate in the Belgrade region stands at 5.8 percent, in Vojvodina at 7.9 percent, in Sumadija and West Serbia at 9.4 percent, and in South and East Serbia at 11.2 percent. The 5.4 percentage point gap between the lowest and highest region is structural.

Davidovic added context on wages.

The average monthly net wage in April 2026 was 99,840 RSD, a real-terms rise of 8.9 percent versus the same period in 2025, with the largest gains in the IT sector.

Is Serbia approaching the natural rate

It is an open question whether the 8.3% level marks the end of the room for further declines. The natural rate of unemployment, which factors in structural and frictional components, is estimated in Serbian academic literature at 6.5 to 7.5 percent.

Follow the Statistical Office’s quarterly and semi-annual labour market releases for the next update.