As of the end of 2023, Montenegro had a total of 33,040 unemployed individuals registered with the Employment Bureau (ZZZ), with over half—17,960—coming from 13 municipalities in the northern part of the country.
Compared to the same month in 2023, the number of unemployed decreased by 16.78%.
According to ZZZ statistics, the highest unemployment rates, relative to population size, were recorded in Andrijevica, Rožaje, and Plav, where about 20% of the population is without work.
In Rožaje, with a population of 25,250, 3,990 people were unemployed. In Plav, 1,450 out of 10,380 people were jobless.
Andrijevica, with a population of 3,980, had 741 unemployed individuals, while Berane, with a population of 25,150, had 3,790 people unemployed. Petnjica, with 5,550 residents, had 849 unemployed.
Gusinje had 538 unemployed residents, and Mojkovac, with a population of 6,820, had 708 people without a job.
Among northern municipalities, Shavnik and Žabljak had the lowest unemployment rates, with around 5% of their populations jobless. At the end of 2023, Shavnik had 73 unemployed out of 1,590 people, and Žabljak had 132 unemployed out of about 3,000 residents.
In Plužine, which saw a population decline of nearly a third between two censuses, 164 individuals out of 2,230 were unemployed.
In Bijelo Polje, the largest city in northern Montenegro with a population of 39,710, 3,060 people were unemployed by the end of 2023.
Pljevlja, the industrial hub of Montenegro, with a population of 24,540, had 1,790 unemployed people. The city has lost over 6,000 residents between the two censuses.
Comparing northern municipalities with those on the coast shows a stark contrast in unemployment rates. In Kotor, with 21,920 residents, only 218 people were unemployed (about 1% of the population). In Tivat, with 16,340 residents, 240 people were unemployed.
Herceg Novi had 411 unemployed individuals out of 31,470 people. In Budva, the tourism capital, 599 people were unemployed out of 26,670 residents.
In Bar, with 46,170 residents, 1,170 people were unemployed.
Among coastal municipalities, Ulcinj had the highest unemployment rate relative to its population. With 21,390 residents, 890 people were unemployed, or about 4%.
In Podgorica, the capital, 5,620 out of 180,190 residents were unemployed. Notably, almost one in eight unemployed individuals in Podgorica holds a university degree, with 706 people in this category, while 693 have a higher education degree.
In neighboring Zeta, 506 people were unemployed out of a population of 16,200. In Tuzi, 803 individuals out of 13,140 were jobless.
In Cetinje, 835 people were unemployed out of 14,460 residents.
Nikšić, with a population of 66,730, had 3,190 unemployed people at the end of 2023.
