Istog`s youth see a bright future ahead, that`s why a large number of them decided to study in one of Kosovo`s universities. They are mainly supported by their families, but a small number of them must work in order to complete their studies.
Flakresa Zeqiraj, from village of Studenicë, second year student at University of Prishtina, says that after completing her studies she sees herself employed in one of the news media in Kosovo, be it print or broadcast.
Flakresa is aware that it is difficult to find a job today, but says that she will be persistent.
“After I gain some experience, and present politics of the country changes, I will achieve that”, she hopes, aware that almost all the news media are located in Prishtina and that it is an emerging profession.
There are also those who would like to work in their hometown, close to their families and friends, although they think there are better job opportunities in Prishtina.
Most of them say that they haven`t thought of any other possible job, since their priority is completing their Bachelor studies, some of them even master, and thus reaching to the job they wish to.
A small number of them, however, thought of any other job as “their second plan”.
Elvina Rexhaj, from village of Cerrcë, senior at the Department of Albanian Literature, says that apart from aspiring a job in her profession after she completes her master studies, would work as a graphic designer, if she fails in finding a job as an Albanian Literature teacher.
A number of them, who are able to pay for it, are planning to pursue their master studies outside Kosovo, somewhere in Western countries, and also find a job there, given that the job market there is larger than here.
Arta Haliti from Istog, senior at the Department of Biology, currently working in telemarketing in Pro Call, has such plan too. After graduating she plans to continue master studies abroad and would return to work here only if better conditions were created and she would be able to find a nice job.
The assumption that “in Kosovo one can have the most delicious coffee for it is prepared by university graduates”, is not just an anecdote, for there are numerous cases of those with university diplomas working as waiters or bartenders.
However, Laureta from Studenicë (who wanted to remain anonymous) is one of those students who has completed her studies and hasn`t managed to find a job. After completing her bachelor studies at the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences (FMS), she applied for many jobs, including in banking (where she was an intern), in insurance companies, and recently she applied for a job at Devolli Company, in its finances sector, but she hasn’t received any answer from none of them, yet.
Laureta sees the lack of experience as one of the main reasons for not getting any the jobs so far, since, for wherever she applied, they required at least two years of experience. She is puzzled how she can build experience when she cannot get a job, and only freshly graduated.
Laureta still lives in Prishtina and is financed by her parents and if she won`t be able to get a job, will have to go back home and remain unemployed.
Fatjon Maxharraj from the village of Vrellë, graduate from the Department of Engineering Chemistry of FMNS at the University of Prishtina, where he is currently doing his master in Analytical Chemistry, aspires applying for several jobs, in private sector (food companies or pharmaceutical), as an engineer (e.g. TreePharm, Sinalco), in high schools or even at the university as a professor, for he considers he would meet the required criteria.
His mother, Fetije, says if their children get a job that could provide enough income for themselves and their families, would be the greatest reward and gratitude parents get for the sacrifice they have made for them.
The employment rate in Kosovo for 2015 is 5.5%, according to the 2015 Annual Report of the Department of Labour and Employment of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW).
According to this report, there were 1,054 individual job seekers and only 255 jobs available during the respective year.
According to the Job Management Information Systems, 323 jobs were available in Istog since the beginning of 2016, whereas the employment offices were intermediaries in full time employment of 79 people (26 out of which were between ages 15-24, 36 job seekers between the ages of 25-39, whereas 17 of them above 40).
Gentiana Maxharraj
