Labour and Employment Forum “Dialogue and Partnerships for the Future” was held on 11-12 November 2025 on Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event was organized by Labour and Employment Agency (LEA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP 3) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) through its Technical Assistance facility provided organizational support, together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).

Opening remarks were delivered by Ljiljana Jurak, from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Antonella Di Sandri, from the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina; Edis Arifagić, from the International Labor Organization (ILO); Amandine Moignard, from the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES), video-recorded address; Siniša Marčić, from the RCC; Donatella Bradić, from the IOM; Sarah Hees-Kalyani, from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office for Bosnia and Herzegovina and South East Europe (SEE); and Ivan Barbalić, from the LEA.

In his welcome address, Sinisa Marčić, RCC’s Senior Expert on Human Capital Development highlighted importance of developing human capital in the WB6, in an environment shaped by demographic decline, skills mismatches and global digital transformation. Marčić also underlined efforts made by RCC in this area, including agendas such as Common Regional Market (CRM), South East Europe 2030 Strategy (SEE 2030) and ESAP 3 project.

The event hosted panel discussions exploring the topics such as labor market in transition, skills of the future and digital services, migration and workforce mobility, as well as European Union (EU) and Western Balkan Six (WB6) perspective on future-oriented skills and digital services in the labour market.

• Panel 1 – “Labour market in transition: challenges and opportunities” focused on demographic trends, including population aging and the emigration of the working-age population, as well as employers’ growing demand for skilled labour.
• Panel 2 – “Future-oriented skills and digital services in the labour market” delivered topics such as ESCO classification and its relevance for WB6 in the EU accession process, aligning education systems with labour market needs and enhancing active labour market measures (ALMMs) through innovation and partnerships
• Panel 3 – “Migration and labour mobility: a challenge or an opportunity for development?”, dedicated to reintegration policies, inter-institutional coordination and the contribution of migration to labour market development, while trying to provide broader perspective: analysis on how labour mobility affects Bosnia and Herzegovina and how to position itself within the European and global processes.

The event gathered representatives of institutions at all levels of government, public employment services, trade unions, employers, academia, and international partners.