Unlocking the untapped potential of NEETs: policy debate takes centre stage in Podgorica

On 15 May 2026, experts, policymakers, youth representatives and researchers gathered at the Science and Technological Park for “Life & Work in Focus: Evidence from the Western Balkans,” a conference organised by Eurofound with support from the European Training Foundation (ETF).

Against the backdrop of Montenegro’s accelerating EU accession path – with Chapter 2 on freedom of movement of workers nearing closure – the event placed the spotlight on one of the region’s most persistent challenges: the high share of young people who are neither in employment, education nor training (NEETs).

Daphne Ahrendt, Senior Research Manager at Eurofound, opened Session 1 with fresh data from the 2024 Living and Working Survey, conducted by telephone (CATI) across all six Western Balkan countries thanks to IPA funding. Originally launched as an EU-27 e-survey in response to COVID-19, the survey now provides comparable evidence on living conditions in the region. Ahrendt explained that while official Labour Force Survey (LFS) and ILO data usually define youth as 15–24 years old, Eurofound adopted a broader 16–34 age range “because prolonged transitions from education to stable employment are common in the Western Balkans.” This adjustment also ensured a sufficiently large analytical sample.

The definition of NEETs remains straightforward: young people who classify themselves as unemployed, full-time homemakers fulfilling domestic tasks, or unable to work due to long-term illness or disability. “The indicator is useful because it identifies young people who are disconnected from both work and learning, not just those who are unemployed,” Ahrendt noted.

The survey reveals stark profiles. NEETs are significantly more likely to have only primary-level education and far less likely to hold a university degree than their non-NEET peers. Young women are disproportionately affected. “Young women are more likely to be NEET,” Ahrendt stated, often because of family responsibilities. Yet perceived access to training is similar between NEETs and non-NEETs; the real gap lies in actual participation. “NEETs are substantially less likely to have participated in any type of training in the past 12 months,” she emphasised, pointing to barriers beyond mere availability.

Mental well-being emerges as a critical concern. NEETs report lower scores overall, with the gap widening with age (under-25 NEETs: 71; under-30: 65; under-35: 62), while non-NEET scores remain stable around 64. The difference is driven largely by women. NEETs also feel more socially excluded (+12.6 percentage points) and report lower interpersonal trust. Financially, the picture is grim: 60% of NEETs struggle to make ends meet, compared with 48% of non-NEETs, and they are more than twice as likely to be unable to afford small personal spending.

Interestingly, life satisfaction and optimism about the future show little difference between NEETs and non-NEETs – a relative bright spot that Ahrendt described as “a positive result” reflecting resilience. Still, the overall message is sobering: NEET status correlates with worse economic conditions, lower engagement in training, reduced well-being and weaker social cohesion.

The panel that followed translated these findings into policy discussion. Dragana Ćetković, Director General of the Directorate for Higher Education at Montenegro’s Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, described sweeping reforms. “We don’t want privileges, we want opportunities,” she quoted students as saying. The new Law on Higher Education (adopted October 2025) introduces flexible models (3+1+1, 4+1+1), mandatory practical training and work-based learning, and micro-credentials to bridge skills gaps. A new strategy for higher education development (2024–2027) and vocational training programmes aim to smooth the school-to-work transition. “When they graduate, they will have an opportunity to learn through different micro-credentials,” Ćetković explained.

Vučina Zorić, Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro, stressed the paradigm shift in career guidance. Moving away from narrow “professional orientation,” the new approach embeds career management skills across primary, secondary and higher education. “Career guidance does change the purpose of education… the school is no longer a shop where you can buy something, it’s actually a workshop where you get to realize your potentials,” Zorić said. New manuals, ethics codes and training for counsellors (starting September) are part of the rollout, supported by ETF.

Branko Stešević from the Ministry of Sports and Youth highlighted the outreach component of the Youth Guarantee. Early efforts showed that information campaigns alone fail to reach the most disconnected. “The problem… is not only the lack of information, but the approach to information,” he noted. The ministry is now funding NGO projects organised in geographic clusters, emphasising field-based youth work and municipal cooperation. “We cannot implement effective outreach without youth organisations, without civil sector, and without youth workers.”

Dea Radević, from the Directorate for the Development of Social and Child Protection Services at the Ministry of Social Welfare, outlined two new services introduced by amendments to the Law on Social and Child Protection passed in April 2026: social mentorship and psychosocial support. Social mentors help at-risk youth build skills, connect with institutions and employers, and reintegrate into society. Psychosocial support addresses anxiety, isolation and loss of confidence through individual and group work. “The role of social work centres is particularly important… they can identify in good time the needs of young people,” Radević said.

Milena Šćepanović, President of the Governing Board of the Youth Network of Montenegro, pushed back against stereotypes. “I would not agree with that narrative that young people don’t like working and that they are not willing to work,” she declared. “It is the combination of various obstacles… and social exclusion.” She pointed to successful career guidance workshops run by youth organisations and called for greater recognition of volunteering as genuine work experience rather than unpaid labour. “Young people do not want to have privileges, but opportunities.”

Commentators from across the region added nuance. Marija Risteska, Executive Director of the Centre for Research and Policy Making in North Macedonia, advocated comprehensive solutions that address both youth needs and business demands, including dual education models and recognition of gig-economy work often invisible in official statistics. Agron Demi, Executive Director of the Atlas Institute in Kosovo, noted the country’s high NEET rates are partly linked to large remittances but warned that poor PISA results and the rapid rise of AI already threaten even formally educated youth. “Even if they have a formal education, they don’t have the skills to use AI,” he observed, citing his own company’s shift toward AI agents that replace multiple entry-level jobs. Amina Isanović Hadžiomerović, Assistant Professor at the University of Sarajevo, described similar education-labour mismatches in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where university graduates often accept secondary-level salaries and must retrain independently.

Opening remarks reinforced the broader stakes. Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of Unit for Social Policies at Eurofound, underlined that data must drive policy amid multiple transitions – green, digital and demographic. Cristina Mereuta of ETF stressed the value of integrated evidence on living and working conditions to understand why well-intentioned programmes sometimes fail to deliver. EU Delegation representative Liselotte Isaksson and Montenegro’s Ivana Šućur both framed the discussion within the country’s EU accession goals and the need for evidence-based reforms that improve citizens’ lives.

The conference made clear that while NEET rates vary across the Western Balkans and fluctuate year to year, the underlying patterns – gender disparities, education gaps, training engagement shortfalls, mental-health impacts and financial vulnerability – are shared. Policymakers in Montenegro are responding with a multi-sectoral push: higher-education modernisation, career guidance overhaul, targeted outreach via civil society, and new social services. Yet commentators warned that demographic pressures, remittances, informal and gig work, and emerging technologies such as AI require even more agile, inclusive approaches.

As the region moves closer to the EU, the Podgorica gathering served as a timely reminder: robust data alone is not enough. The real test lies in converting evidence into coordinated action that gives every young person genuine opportunities – not privileges – to build a life of dignity and contribution. The Youth Guarantee, expanded career services, and cross-ministerial cooperation represent promising steps; sustained implementation and regional learning will determine whether the next generation remains optimistic in reality as well as in survey responses.

Caption: Daphne Ahrendt, Senior Research Manager at Eurofound, presents slides during the conference [Photo: Georgi Gotev]