Discussion paper on Employment of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians


Discussion paper on Employment of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians

KOSINT 2020 Project has published and presented the Discussion Paper “Technical Analysis and Policy Recommendations for Promoting Employment of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities in Kosovo”

In the event there were present civil society organizations and relevant officials from local and central government.

The discussion paper shows that the labour market situation of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities is worse than that of all other communities living in Kosovo, with concerns regarding both level and quality of employment. This is a result of a combination of relatively low education/skill levels, and a range of other factors, including lack of access to information and social capital which could facilitate their engagement in (quality) jobs, and labour market discrimination. The aim of this study was to identify suitable and feasible policy interventions which, in a sustainable manner, could help Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian men and women to access employment opportunities, and particularly decent employment opportunities.

Kosovo’s policy framework for the employment of minorities, and these communities in particular, is relatively advanced compared to many European countries. The quota for representation of minorities in public sector employment mandated by the Law 03/L-149 on Civil Service in the Republic of Kosovo is one initiative in this respect. Improved efforts to fully implement this law, as well the specification of the quota for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, could help to promote these communities’ access to stable full-time employment opportunities which they typically cannot access. Another important policy document in is the Strategy for inclusion of Roma and Ashkali communities in the Kosovo Society (2017-2021) which foresees a range of activities to address employment of these communities, mainly to increasing participation of these communities in ALMMs. The experience of other countries shows that implementation of similar strategies in practice can suffer from poor policy coordination, lack of translation of these documents into priorities in employment policy and/or results in tailored measures that meet the needs of these communities. Accordingly, it is recommended that efforts are focused primarily on mainstreaming the issue of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian employment into employment policy-making processes. In particular, it is recommended that inclusion of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian community members is treated in the upcoming Employment and Vocation Training Policy (2019-2021).

The full discussion paper is published in: http://kosint2020.net/en/publications/reports/