Budva, (MINA-BUSINESS) – It was concluded at a panel during the Montenegro 2025 Economic Conference that the labour market is undergoing deep and irreversible changes, while job automation technology has advanced significantly, threatening the position of the workforce.

At the panel titled “The Power of the Workforce: How to Shape a Competitive and Resilient Economy,” held as part of the two-day conference organized by the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG) at Hotel Splendid, discussions focused on the labour market, workforce quality, and youth migration.

Director of the Education and Quality Sector at PKCG Mladen Perazic, who moderated the panel, said that human capital, knowledge, skills, health, and innovation, lay the foundation for all social and economic progress. 

“Today, we are at a crossroads: on one hand, we face challenges such as labour shortages, youth migration, and insufficient alignment between education and the labour market; on the other hand, there is the will, knowledge, and opportunities to transform these weaknesses into developmental potential,” Perazic stated.

Professor Dejan Soskic of the University of Belgrade noted that workforce quality is one of the main issues in the region.

He believes that the region needs to catch up with Europe and the Visegrad Group countries, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia.

“Convergence with them requires higher economic growth. When analyzing sources of growth, it can come from increased capital, labour, or productivity growth, which is most often based on technology,” Soskic said.