On Wednesday, 14 May 2025, the final conference “Employment of Foreign Workers: Between Practice and Regulations” was held in Belgrade as part of the initiative “Supporting the Private Sector in the Employment of Foreign Workers” led by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights. This initiative is part of the broader Initiative for Global Solidarity project,[1] implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Serbia, in partnership with the Responsible Business Hub of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The conference brought together around 50 participants – representatives of state institutions, companies, international organizations, and civil society – with the aim of fostering cross-sector dialogue on the challenges, good practices, and opportunities for improving the employment process of foreign workers in Serbia.
The event was opened by journalist Ljubica Gojgić, who moderated two panel discussions. The first panel focused on institutional competences and responses to the challenges of employing foreign workers, while the second featured company representatives with direct experience in hiring and integrating foreign workers.
Conference participants had the opportunity to pose direct questions to relevant institutions – including representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, and the National Employment Service – and to receive answers to concrete dilemmas and practical challenges. In the second panel, company representatives shared their experiences regarding administrative procedures, cooperation with competent institutions, and the integration of foreign workers into the workplace.
The audience was also presented with a research summary by Dr. Mario Reljanović, based on surveys and interviews conducted with employers during the previous phase of the project. The findings served as a foundation for designing the training curriculum delivered to employers in March and April 2025.
The conference marked the closing event of the project but also served as an important step in continuing the cooperation between all stakeholders involved in the employment of foreign workers – with the goal of improving legal certainty, transparency, and full respect for labour and human rights standards for foreign nationals in Serbia.
The conference agenda is available HERE.
[1] The project “Initiative for Global Solidarity” (IGS) is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
© photo: Belgrade Centre for Human Rights
