Croatia
Strategies for youth employment
- Strategies for youth employment
- Yes
Youth employment strategy planned in the next 2 years
- Discussions within the government
- No
- Consultations with national-level stakeholders (e.g. employers’ and workers’ associations, youth councils, etc.)
- No
- A draft strategy already exists
- Yes
- Other (please specify)
- No
Countries with national action plans for youth employment
- Monitoring framework (timeline and activity/outcome indicators, e.g. youth labour market indicators)
- Yes
- Funding (indicative budget to implement the plan)
- Yes
- Institutional responsibilities (e.g. ministries/agencies in charge of specific planned activities )
- Yes
- Other, specify
- No
Public funding for the national youth employment strategy
- Public funding for the national youth employment strategy
- Yes
Additional information:
Activities under the National Plan for Work, Health and Safety at Work, and Employment—implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy and the Croatian Employment Service—are financed through dedicated segments of the state budget.Youth in the national development / employment strategy
- Youth in the national development / employment strategy
- Yes
Additional information:
The National Plan for Labour, Occupational Health and Safety and Employment (2021–2027) prioritizes active employment policy measures targeting disadvantaged groups in the labour market, including young people, the long-term unemployed, older individuals, low-skilled workers, inactive individuals, and women. A key public policy priority is the activation of the inactive working-age population. The sustainable integration of vulnerable groups—especially youth, women, and the long-term unemployed—into the labour market is recognized as essential for driving economic growth and improving living and working conditions. Under Priority 4 of the National Plan, the goal is to increase the activity rate of the working-age population by improving access to the labour market for unemployed and inactive individuals. This includes: • Defining and monitoring active labour market policy (ALMP) measures; • Developing systems for the inclusion of inactive working-age individuals, with special emphasis on NEET youth (Not in Employment, Education, or Training); • Strengthening the Croatian Employment Service in job mediation and information services; • Promoting employment of vulnerable groups through social entrepreneurship. Additionally, the National Program for Youth (2023–2025) serves as the overarching framework guiding youth policy. It is based on the findings of the national analysis of the youth sector and addresses priority areas such as employment, housing, youth employment in tourism (especially for shortage occupations), and financial literacy. This program further affirms youth as a strategic target group in Croatia’s national development and employment agendas.Countries with national goals for youth employment
- Countries with national goals for youth employment
- Yes
Additional information:
Croatia has established clear national goals and objectives to promote youth employment through multiple strategic frameworks. The National Plan for Labour, Occupational Health and Safety and Employment (2021–2027) emphasizes increasing the activity rate of the working-age population, with a particular focus on young people in NEET status (Not in Employment, Education or Training). Key objectives include: • Improving the system of lifelong professional guidance for youth; • Ensuring the continued implementation of the Youth Guarantee; • Developing support systems for integrating inactive youth into the labour market. Under Priority 4 of the Plan, “Increasing the activity of the working-age population,” Specific Goal 4 aims to improve access to the labour market for unemployed and inactive individuals. This directly contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.5: “By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including young people and persons with disabilities.” One of the key measures under this goal—Measure 4.4—targets the inclusion of NEET youth in the labour market. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (2021–2026) further supports youth employment by prioritizing labour market activation in its Component 4: Labour Market and Social Protection. In response to declining economic activity, this component outlines goals such as: • Increasing the employment rate to 70% by 2024; • Creating conditions for at least 100,000 new jobs, with a focus on youth and the self-employed; • Enhancing social cohesion, combating poverty, and protecting vulnerable groups. Additionally, the National Program for Youth (2023–2025) includes Measure 3.3.2: Empowering unemployed youth not in education or training. This measure will be implemented through public calls for proposals to fund youth organizations and initiatives that: • Enhance the skills, knowledge, and employability of NEET youth; • Improve their competitiveness in the labour market; • Promote social inclusion.Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment
- Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment
- Yes
Additional information:
Croatia has established several quantitative targets at the national level to promote youth employment. These targets are embedded in key strategic documents and cover both general employment objectives and youth-specific goals: NEET Reduction Target: The National Plan for Labour, Occupational Health and Safety and Employment (2021–2027) aims to reduce the NEET rate (young people not in employment, education, or training) from 14% in 2020 to 12% by 2027. Activation Outcome Indicator: Within the National Plan, a key indicator is the number of individuals employed 6 months after exiting active labour market policy (ALMP) measures. The baseline in 2020 was 23,514, with a target of 150,400 individuals by 2027. This includes young people as a key priority group under the goal to increase labour market participation. National Development Strategy 2030: Sets a strategic goal to increase the employment rate of persons aged 20–64 from 66.7% in 2020 to 75% by 2030, supporting long-term youth integration into the labour market. National Recovery and Resilience Plan (2021–2026): Aims to increase the share of young farmers from 12.7% to 20% by 2030, supporting youth employment in the agricultural sector. Government Programme 2024–2028: Establishes a target to reduce the general unemployment rate to 5% and the youth unemployment rate to below 10% by the end of the government’s term.Policy areas in national youth employment strategies
- Macroeconomic and Sectoral policies
- Yes
- Enterprise Development
- Yes
- Education, Training and skills development
- Yes
- Labour Demand
- Yes
- Labour Law and Legislation
- Yes
- Labour Market Policies
- Yes
- Other (please specify)
- No
Social partners' inclusion in the youth employment strategy
- Workers
- Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
- Not involved
- Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
- No
- Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
- Informed
- Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
- Consulted
- Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
- Consulted
- Employers
- Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
- Not involved
- Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
- No
- Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
- Informed
- Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
- Consulted
- Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
- Consulted
Youth-led organizatios' inclusion in the national strategy
- Fully involved
- Yes
- Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
- No
- Consulted
- No
- Informed
- No
- Not involved
- No
Countries with national partnerships for youth employment
- Countries with national partnerships for youth employment
- Yes
Additional information:
Development and implementation of Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan (YGIP) is the responsibility of the Council for Implementation of YGIP, a national working group of the minister of Labour, consisting of representatives of relevant bodies implementing YGIP measures, social partners, chamber of commerce and industry, and civil society organizations, including youth representatives. This Council has been active since 2014 and its' aim is coordinating the activities of stakeholders responsible for the implementation of measures and policies aimed at facilitating the transition of young people from education or inactivity to the labour market.Inclusiveness of vulnerable groups in national strategies
- Women
- Yes
- Migrant Workers
- Yes
- NEETs
- Yes
- People with disabilities
- Yes
- Low skilled workers
- Yes
- Rural workers
- Yes
- Other (please specify)
- No
Youth employment strategies and international cooperation
- Youth employment strategies and international cooperation
- No