Over 64,000 foreigners working in Serbia – Russians, Chinese and Indians make up the largest groups

At the end of 2025, there were 64,672 foreigners residing in Serbia on the basis of some form of employment.

According to data from the 2025 Migration Profile of the Republic of Serbia, the largest groups among them were nationals of Russia (35.5%), followed by China (19.1%), India (10.7%), Turkey (9.1%), and Nepal (4.2%).

In late July of this year, Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic stated during a parliamentary debate that “there are currently 68,720 foreigners with work permits in our country.”

According to data published by the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia, citing Ministry of Internal Affairs figures, a total of 64,672 foreigners were residing in the country at the end of 2025 based on some form of employment.

Labor migration represents the most prevalent form of migration in the Republic of Serbia, according to the 2025 Migration Profile.

“In recent years, a continuous rise in the number of foreign workers has been observed, driven by labor market needs and a shortage of domestic labor. The majority of these foreign workers reside in Serbia on the basis of a single permit issued for both temporary residence and work,” the Commissariat for Refugees’ document notes.

From professional development to company management

As explained, an application for temporary residence, on the basis of which a single permit for temporary residence and work is issued, may be submitted for the following reasons: employment in the strict sense/employment contract or other contract, self-employment, posted workers, intra-corporate transfer, independent professional, and training or professional development.

This application is submitted exclusively electronically via the unified portal for foreigners to the competent authority for foreign nationals within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which makes the decision on the application. An assessment by the competent employment authority is also obtained as part of this unified procedure.

In addition to the above, foreign nationals also reside and work in Serbia who, in accordance with regulations governing the employment of foreigners, have the right to work without a single permit, and these individuals are not included in the statistics regarding approved temporary residence permits based on employment.

“At the end of 2025, 64,672 foreign nationals were residing in the Republic of Serbia based on some form of employment, which represents a 24% increase compared to 2024, when 49,147 foreign workers were residing in the country on this basis,” states the Migration Profile.

As of the end of 2025, the largest group of foreign workers consists of those residing and working under employment contracts or other agreements, approximately 69%, followed by the self-employed, around 18% (registered business owners or entrepreneurs), and finally, foreign workers present via secondment or intra-corporate transfer.

“At the same time, a greater diversity in the countries of origin of foreign workers can be observed compared to previous years, indicating an expansion of migration patterns and the increasing mobility of the foreign workforce,” the document notes.

Employment of workers from the region

In accordance with the Law Ratifying the Agreement on Conditions for Free Access to the Western Balkans Labor Market and the signed Protocol on the Implementation of said Agreement, citizens of the Republic of Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia have been able to apply for an Authorization for Free Access to the Labor Market since March 1, 2024.

The authorization is valid for two years. During this period, citizens of North Macedonia or Albania may reside in Serbia without the obligation to apply for a temporary residence permit under national legislation.

Furthermore, holders of this authorization, citizens of North Macedonia and Albania, enjoy free access to the Serbian labor market.

“From the date the Agreement entered into force until the time this report was prepared, nationals of the Republic of Albania and North Macedonia submitted a total of 519 applications for free access to the labor market, specifically, three applications were submitted by nationals of the Republic of Albania and 516 by nationals of the Republic of North Macedonia,” the Migration Profile states.

A total of 387 applications for free access to the labor market were approved, specifically, 386 applications from nationals of North Macedonia were approved, and one application from a national of the Republic of Albania was approved.

Unemployed foreign nationals in National Employment Service (NES) records

Unemployed foreign nationals in the records of the National Employment Service are individuals who hold temporary or permanent residence status (approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs) and are registered with the NES.

“As of December 31, 2025, the National Employment Service registry listed 632 unemployed foreign nationals, 74% of whom were women,” the document states.

A year earlier, on December 31, 2024, the National Employment Service registry listed 339,512 unemployed persons, 0.2% of whom were foreign nationals.

The trend was reportedly identical the previous year.

The largest number of unemployed persons on the National Employment Service registry came from the Russian Federation, followed by nationals of Montenegro and North Macedonia.

“The largest number of unemployed individuals belonged to the younger middle-aged group, specifically, persons aged 30 to 49 (55.54%),” the document notes.

Highest number with low education levels

Regarding the educational background of foreign nationals on the National Employment Service registry as of December 31, 2025, who had been registered for up to 12 months, the largest share consisted of individuals with no formal education or only primary school education, totaling 69.39%.

The same pattern applies to those registered for more than 12 months, with individuals from these two categories accounting for 81.66% of the total.

This trend has reportedly continued from previous years.

A total of 690 foreign nationals registered with the National Employment Service during 2025.

“The largest shares of newly registered individuals come from the Russian Federation (26.81%), the Republic of North Macedonia (11.74%), and Montenegro (7.39%),” states the Migration Profile of the Republic of Serbia for the past year.

Victims of human trafficking

By the end of 2025, the National Employment Service’s registry of unemployed persons included one woman with the recorded status of a human trafficking victim, the document specifies.

“During the reporting period, from January 1 to December 31, 2025, one person with the recorded status of a human trafficking victim was registered in the unemployment records.

In 2025, employment counselors conducted two individual interviews with individuals identified as victims of human trafficking.

These individual interviews were conducted to provide information regarding the rights and obligations of job seekers, as well as the services available from the National Employment Service, tailored to the individuals’ qualifications and labor market needs,” the document states.

Following individual consultations, employment counselors, the report adds, “conducted a total of two employability assessments for individuals with the registered status of victim of human trafficking.”

“Employability assessments were carried out by taking into account all relevant characteristics of the individuals (level and type of qualifications, work experience, additional knowledge and skills, etc.), as well as labor market conditions.

During the reporting period, two individual employment plans were agreed upon with this category of individuals, outlining basic guidelines for active job searching, specific activities aimed at securing employment, the occupations for which job placement would be facilitated, and the active labor market policy measures in which the individuals would participate.

In 2025, one individual with the registered status of victim of human trafficking was included in the ATP1 measure,” the Migration Profile states.

During the reporting period, from January 1 to December 31, 2025, there were seven instances of employment involving unemployed individuals with the registered status of victim of human trafficking and all of them were women.

Komesarijat za izbeglice i migracije Republike Srbije

Nacionalna služba za zapošljavanje Kragujevac

Migration Profile of the Republic of Serbia

Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia

NES

National Employment Service

foreign workers