Online Vacancy Index (OVI) for 2020 shows that the demand for labour went down by 28% compared to 2019, according to data from the Zagreb Institute of Economics (EIZ), which underscored that the drop was a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Decrease in labor demand is a consequence of Covid-19 pandemic, as well as of social and economic restrictions aimed at curbing the pandemic,” it was said on the EIZ website.

“Demand for almost all occupations in 2020 dropped compared to 2019, particularly the demand for occupations in the service sector. For example, demand for three occupations that are traditionally most sought after — salesman, waiter, and cook — decreased in 2020 by 43, 44 and 35 percent respectively compared to 2019. ” it was said.

“On the other hand, occupations related to the pandemic and reconstruction efforts after the earthquake registered a growth in demand: there was a higher demand for bricklayers, nurses, professors, medical doctors, dentists, construction workers, teachers, carpenters and construction engineers in 2020 compared to 2019,” EIZ said.

“In the fourth quarter of 2020, labor demand was 25 percent lower than in the fourth quarter of 2019, and the same decrease was registered when comparing labor demand in December 2020 compared to December 2019,” EIZ added.

OVI (Online Vacancy Index) is a monthly index of online job advertisements developed by the Zagreb Institute of Economics in cooperation with the MojPosao job search website. It aims to provide timely information on current labour demand.