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President of the DDS at KBF 2025

In the panel discussion “How demographic changes affect the labor market in Serbia”, held on 2-5 March at the Kopaonik Business Forum 2025, the president of the Association of Demographers of Serbia and the head of the Center for Demographic Research of the Institute of Social Sciences,  Vladimir Nikitović, presented the state and perspectives of the reduction and aging of the population and workforce in Serbia and neighboring countries.

The panel, which was organized by UNDP and National Employment Service, also brought together the following experts: Milan Bosnić, director of the National Employment Service, Marjana Davidović, general director of Nestlé Adriatic Hub South, and Uroš Živković, program director of Point of Return. The panel was moderated by Danijela Bobić Tasić, specialist for economic development at UNDP, while the keynote address was given by Yakup Beris, resident representative at UNDP. The topic of the panel was the key challenges and solutions for labor shortage in the coming decades.

Vladimir Nikitović opened the panel discussion with a presentation on the state and perspectives of the reduction and aging of the population and workforce in Serbia and the neighboring countries based on the results of forecasting models. He discussed the validity of fears about the effects of population ageing on the sustainability of vital social systems given the neglected potential of immigration and relatively low labor force participation rates in Serbia and the region. Consequently, he presented the feasibility and effectiveness of various scenarios for dealing with the adverse effects of demographic processes, primarily with regard to the pressure of the economically inactive on the active population.

The panelists agreed that solving the problem of labour shortages, changes in the labour market and disparities within the region requires fresh ideas, flexible policies and decisive testing of new solutions. These include aligning education and skills development with changing labour market demands, creating economic policies that encourage SMEs to innovate and attract investment in industries based on a highly skilled workforce and new technologies, as well as a better understanding of migration and the role of foreign workers to ensure that their participation in the labour market contributes to long-term sustainable development.