Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 Agenda

This article examines the integration challenges faced by foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on qualitative data from 16 workers across various professions. It addresses how these workers perceive integration policies and the legal, bureaucratic, social, and cultural barriers they enc...

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Main Authors: Hamza Preljević, Ena Kazić-Çakar, Mirza Ljubović, Hana Šarkinović-Köse, Harun Halilović, Kenan Ademovic
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Research and Development Academy 2025-07-01
Series:Heritage and Sustainable Development
Online Access:https://hsd.ardascience.com/index.php/journal/article/view/1510
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author Hamza Preljević
Ena Kazić-Çakar
Mirza Ljubović
Hana Šarkinović-Köse
Harun Halilović
Kenan Ademovic
author_facet Hamza Preljević
Ena Kazić-Çakar
Mirza Ljubović
Hana Šarkinović-Köse
Harun Halilović
Kenan Ademovic
author_sort Hamza Preljević
collection DOAJ
description This article examines the integration challenges faced by foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on qualitative data from 16 workers across various professions. It addresses how these workers perceive integration policies and the legal, bureaucratic, social, and cultural barriers they encounter. With a significant outflow of skilled labor from Bosnia, foreign workers play a crucial role in filling the workforce gaps. The European Migration Network predicts a need for 45 million qualified workers in Western Europe, including Bosnia, by 2030, prompting a high emigration rate from the Western Balkans, which, in turn, will increase the demand for foreign labor. This will, in turn, make it more complex for BiH to fulfill its commitment to the Agenda 2030, as set forth by the United Nations in 2015, through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A low birth rate contributes to the increasing need to increase the labor force, which may ultimately result in social engineering. Although the number of foreign workers in Bosnia has increased, they experience limited access to integration programs and face social isolation and administrative hurdles, which this article analyzes and aims to emphasize better integration policies. Future studies can explore the social acceptance of foreign workers by the locals in Bosnia.
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spelling doaj-art-c6a826d20901418db2f8627db7ce58f62025-08-20T03:02:47ZengResearch and Development AcademyHeritage and Sustainable Development2712-05542025-07-017210.37868/hsd.v7i2.1510Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 AgendaHamza Preljević0Ena Kazić-Çakar1Mirza Ljubović2Hana Šarkinović-Köse3Harun Halilović4Kenan Ademovic5International University of Sarajevo, BosniaInternational University of Sarajevo, BosniaInternational University of Sarajevo, BosniaInternational University of Sarajevo, BosniaInternational University of Sarajevo, BosniaInternational University of Sarajevo, Bosnia This article examines the integration challenges faced by foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on qualitative data from 16 workers across various professions. It addresses how these workers perceive integration policies and the legal, bureaucratic, social, and cultural barriers they encounter. With a significant outflow of skilled labor from Bosnia, foreign workers play a crucial role in filling the workforce gaps. The European Migration Network predicts a need for 45 million qualified workers in Western Europe, including Bosnia, by 2030, prompting a high emigration rate from the Western Balkans, which, in turn, will increase the demand for foreign labor. This will, in turn, make it more complex for BiH to fulfill its commitment to the Agenda 2030, as set forth by the United Nations in 2015, through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A low birth rate contributes to the increasing need to increase the labor force, which may ultimately result in social engineering. Although the number of foreign workers in Bosnia has increased, they experience limited access to integration programs and face social isolation and administrative hurdles, which this article analyzes and aims to emphasize better integration policies. Future studies can explore the social acceptance of foreign workers by the locals in Bosnia. https://hsd.ardascience.com/index.php/journal/article/view/1510
spellingShingle Hamza Preljević
Ena Kazić-Çakar
Mirza Ljubović
Hana Šarkinović-Köse
Harun Halilović
Kenan Ademovic
Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 Agenda
Heritage and Sustainable Development
title Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 Agenda
title_full Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 Agenda
title_fullStr Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 Agenda
title_full_unstemmed Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 Agenda
title_short Sustainability and foreign workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Addressing labor shortages and concerns over UN 2030 Agenda
title_sort sustainability and foreign workers in bosnia and herzegovina addressing labor shortages and concerns over un 2030 agenda
url https://hsd.ardascience.com/index.php/journal/article/view/1510
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