As a candidate country for European Union membership, the Republic of Serbia faces persistent challenges related to youth unemployment. At times, Serbia’s youth unemployment rates have been nearly double those of the EU. The peak was recorded in 2013, when the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 29 reached 41.6% (Eurostat, 2024). Since then, the trend has been declining, reaching a low of 17.4% in 2022. At the same time, an analysis of the second labor market indicator, employment rate, reveals that the employment rate of young men in the Republic of Serbia has consistently been higher than that of young women over the past decade, suggesting that young men have been in a more favorable position compared to their female peers.

Approach: The paper analyzes secondary data from the Eurostat database, focusing on employment rate trends among youth aged 15 to 29 who have completed either level 3 or level 4 education in vocational education and training or general education programs.

Findings: According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia and other labor market indicators, the country experienced a general economic improvement between 2015 and 2018. This period was marked by rising economic activity, increased employment, and declining unemployment rates with adequate implementation of youth supportive measures by Government of Republic of Serbia to promote youth employment. Based on the analysis of youth employment trends from 2015 to 2024, it can be concluded that young people with vocational education and training (VET) qualifications consistently exhibit significantly higher employment rates—approximately 30 percentage points more—compared to their peers with general education. At the same time, the employment position of young women remains notably less favorable, with consistently lower employment rates compared to their male counterparts.

Conclusions: Young people with VET qualifications consistently demonstrate higher employment rates than their peers with general education. The Government of the Republic of Serbia has made an effort to increase employment rates among youth through strategic documents and programs. The concrete impact of these measures has yet to be analyzed. However, further investment is needed in measures aimed at reducing the gender gap, enhancing the employment of young women, and aligning Serbia’s labor market indicators more closely with those of the European Union.