The Impact of Education Reforms, Employment Policies and Corruption on the Outflow of Young People from Serbia

Abstract

The young workforce has always been the most valuable resource in a country’s economic perspective, and it can be crucial in transition countries such as Serbia. This paper focuses on education reform, youth employment and their contribution to the development of the country, as well as preventing the outflow of this important resource, crucial for the progress of the entire society. The emigration of young and educated professionals in the most productive period of their lives has been constant for the past ten years in the Republic of Serbia. Accordingly, the aim of the research is to highlight the need to strengthen institutions, reduce corruption, as well as to raise collective awareness about the need to invest in reforming the education and employment system of young people, similar to the countries of Central and Western Europe. Data from relevant domestic and foreign institutions and journals were used for the analysis. Research results show that the only way to reduce the trend of human resources outflow, and thus ensure continuous, sustainable economic growth in the future of the Republic of Serbia, is a strategy of retaining young people and access to radical structural reforms and institutional strengthening.