SURVEY ON "DISCRIMINATION ON THE LABOR MARKET" PUBLISHED

18. February 2020.

Brankica Jankovic, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, recently presented a Special Report on Discrimination in the Field of Labor and Employment and a Survey on Discrimination on the Labor Market, which were prepared to mark the institution's 10th anniversary. She pointed out that the area of work and employment had been at the top of the list of complaints for ten years, which was an incentive to prepare a comprehensive analysis to identify key issues that lead to violations of the right to decent work, earnings and equal treatment in that area and defined the guidelines for addressing them. That report was submitted to the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia in December 2019.

The survey “Discrimination on the Labor Market” was conducted in the July-September 2019 period as part of the project "Inclusion of Roma and other Marginalized Groups", which was implemented by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in Serbia. The research sample included 1,112 respondents, of whom 96 were employers, 51 employed persons and 503 unemployed persons. The publication presents the results of an examination of the perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of employers, employees and the unemployed about discrimination in all stages of employment. These attitudes and perceptions of the respondents deepen the insights into the prevalence of discrimination at work and in the employment process gained through public opinion polls and through the practice of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality.

The survey has shown that the respondents have a perception that discrimination is very high, as stated by 92% of employers, 86% of unemployed and 84% of employees. On the other hand, personal experience of discrimination in its true sense of unequal treatment because of a personal characteristic, was experienced by about one-third of the respondents. They cited membership of political organizations, age, gender, and marital and family status as the most common reasons for that.

The Commissioner presented the most important recommendations stemming from the report and research aimed at improving the status of as many players on the labor market as possible- employers, trade unions and institutions - in order to improve the situation through respect for human rights of all, especially of vulnerable social categories of the population, in the area of work and employment, increase the standard of living of the citizens and reduce the feeling of general depravation. Also stated in the report is that it is necessary to provide more effective compliance control mechanisms, as well as those for dealing with labor disputes, while at the same time promoting a model of responsible social business, inclusion, equality and non-discrimination.

The publication "Discrimination on the Labor Market" is available on http://ravnopravnost-5bcf.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/diskriminacija-na-trzistu-rada-FINAL.pdf

Source: ravnopravnost.gov.rs and Coordination Body