• 2020-12-15

ANNUAL CONFERENCE Labour and Employment - What Can We Expect in 2021?

On 15 December 2020, the Center for Democracy Foundation organised its annual conference entitled Labour and Employment - What Can We Expect in 2021?

As a result of the social and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, the situation concerning labour rights has further deteriorated relative to last year. Certain professions are especially vulnerable, sensitive groups on the labour market are facing new issues, as are those working in the informal sector. Over 10% of the workforce is poor. Precarious work is on the rise, and the most vulnerable workers are now even more so. In addition to existing issues, the crisis has exposed Serbia to a number of new issues which may have a decisive impact on the local labour market, labour rights and employment in 2021. With the new forms of work that have emerged, remote work in particular, we are now facing an inexact legal framework and new challenges in terms of exercising labour rights. OH&S has become a priority for frontline workers.

Have the measures imposed by the Serbian Government been sufficiently directed toward the most vulnerable sectors of the workforce? Can social partners have a more significant impact on creating economic measures? How has the epidemic-related crisis really impacted employment and what are the predictions for 2021? How can we improve the legal framework and institutional capacities to protect labour rights? How do you respond to the needs of sensitive groups during pandemic conditions and within the context of an economic crisis, in the medium and long term? Any crisis is an opportunity to regulate the current situation and to introduce new policies - is Serbia prepared to respond to the crisis in this way?

These are just some of the questions we discussed at the conference via six interactive panels, with representatives of civil societies, experts, representatives of international organisations, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy, the Commissioner for Protection of Equality and others. The debate aimed to attempt to view the situation within a realistic framework and to prepare us for both the challenges and new opportunities before us.

The conference was organised under new conditions where some of the speakers spoke in person from one of the conference rooms at the Metropol Hotel in Belgrade, and the remaining participants actively participated via ZOOM.

This programme has been implemented with the long-term collaboration and support of the Olof Palme International Center.

Labour and Employment - What Can We Expect in 2021? Conference Agenda

Summary 2020 Report OPC (Ivan Sekulović)

Analysis II Summary Action Plan for Chapter 19 (Ivan Sekulović)

Young People and Active Employment Policy Measures (Sarita Bradaš)

The Work of the Freelancer (Ivan Sekulović)

Center for Democracy Foundation