Serbia Reports 2.37 Million Employed People in the First Quarter, Including 614,522 in the Public Sector

Belgrade, panorama (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

In the first quarter of this year, a total of 2,364,580 employed individuals were recorded in Serbia, 0.6 percent more than a year ago, the Statistics Office of the Republic of Serbia announced on April 29.

Legal entities employed 1,898,894 people, 0.6 percent more than in the first quarter of 2023. There were 414,777 entrepreneurs, persons employed by them and self-employed individuals -   two percent more than in the same period in 2023. On the other hand, the number of individual farmers decreased by 8.1 percent to 50,909.

The public sector employed a total of 614,522 individuals in the first quarter of this year, 0.4 percent more compared to the same period in 2023. Public enterprises reported a total of 82,693 employees, of whom 59,966 in local public companies. Central and provincial administrations employed 133,114 people, and local self-governments a total of 27,587 employees.

Healthcare and social institutions reported a total of 163,448 employees – five percent more than in the first quarter of last year. The education sector and cultural institutions employed a staff of 147,714, reporting a 3.2 percent decrease. According to the latest population count, Serbia has 6,664,449 inhabitants.