Serbia has 32,139 Companies with Zero Employees

Belgrade, panorama (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Nearly every third company operating in Serbia has zero employees, as opposed to last year’s 32,139 according to the 2022 financial reports, Forbes Serbia reported on Dec. 11. In the course of 2022, the number of on December 11th, the number of the companies without a team was reduced by 393.

A survey indicates that, the after the companies with no employees came those employing two to five workers – 27,850 companies with a total of 84,792 employees. Third on the list were the companies employing one worker (24,226), the Business Registers Agency reported.

The companies without employees constitute the largest group of businesses in Serbia, followed by companies with two to five workers. The companies with zero employees spent 6.5 billion dinars on the salaries of employees, or rather, directors last year, a 68% increase compared to the previous year.

Several typical examples of companies without employees are known in practice. Most frequently a Serb national is the founder and CEO, working full-time in another company. Another option is a foreign founder/CEO,  employed in a country with which Serbia has a social security agreement, as reported by Forbes.

The Business Registers Agency's analysis reveals that companies without employees are most prevalent in wholesale and retail trade – 9,244. The second most represented sector is manufacturing – 4,479. They are also present in professional, scientific, innovative, and technical activities, with 4,120 such enterprises. Additionally, there are 3,505 in the construction sector.