Diana Kastrati, a third- year student at “Haxhi Zeka” Law Faculty in Gjilan, thinks that she will remain unemployed after finishing studies. She says that there are not enough jobs available in the city and that she will not be able to find a job relating her profession.
“We should be very prepared for this profession since it requires many challenges. However, even though we are prepared and have knowledge, we remain unemployed in our country and a lack of acquaintances plays a big role in this,” Kastrati said.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the number of unemployed in the municipality of Gjilan in 2015 was about 14,050, out of which 6,337 were women.
In 2016/2017 academic year in all departments of “Haxhi Zeka” University, 1,104 students were enrolled, of which more were women – 622. Most of them have no clue where will they find a job after they finish their studies.
In the previous year alone, 34 students (women) of the first generation of the Faculty of Economy graduated from “Kadri Zeka” University.
Liridona Sabedini, also a law student, does not either expect to find a job easily. One of the reasons is that there are not enough available jobs and she does not possess money in order to start a job in her profession.
“I am about to finish my studies. What I expect from my country is misery and ignoring all my studies. The career I have made until now is without the support of my county,” she emphasized.
Dukagjin Leka, vice-rector at the University of Gjilan, says that the university started decreasing the number of students in order to increase the quality of education. He says that at the law faculty, only 250 students have been enrolled, which is different from previous years when the number of the enrolled students reached up to 450-500 students.
“The unemployment rate in Kosovo is high but our study programs and increased quality are in concordance with the job market. Our aim is to prepare our students for the job market not only in Gjilan but in Kosovo and the Balkan region as well,” says he.
Agim Zuzaku, head of the Division for Development in Gjilan, says that the municipality is working on a project that focuses on the empowerment of women.
“Based on statistics of socio-economic development of 2017-2021, one of the objectives of this strategy is women`s empowerment. The two main components of this project are creating an informal network of women and making a strategy for entrepreneur women,” he said.
According to the statistics of the Department of Economic Development in Gjilan, the number of the women who owned businesses was 81, compared to 322 men. Whereas, in 2016, this comparison was even more unfavorable, 79 women compared to 370 men who owned a business.
Zuzaku adds that the municipality asked the employers to make it possible for the students to do practical work.
But according to an “analytic report on the opinions of the business community in Gjilan” for 2016, only 257 businesses out of 800 that were surveyed said they can offer seasonal jobs for students. On the other side, only 36 of those 800 businesses had declared lack of employees on their official profiles.
According to GAP Institute, currently 12.9% of Kosovar women who are working age have a job.
Arbresha Berisha
