Montenegro’s employment growth accelerated in the second quarter of 2026, while unemployment among people aged 15–64 declined to 9.4% from 10.7% a year earlier, according to figures from the European Commission.
Employment increased by 3.4% year on year in Q2, following growth of 2.8% in the first quarter. The labour-market activity rate also approached 80%, compared with 73.6% in the same period of 2025.
The simultaneous rise in employment and labour-market participation indicates that more people are entering the workforce while the number of employed people continues to grow. Montenegro is also expanding construction, infrastructure investment, tourism and energy development. These sectors require overlapping groups of engineers, skilled tradespeople, hospitality workers, drivers, project managers and public-sector specialists, increasing the importance of labour availability as investment activity expands.
Labour-market trends also differ by gender. Male unemployment declined to 8% from 11.5% a year earlier, while female unemployment rose to 10.9% from 9.8%, highlighting differences in employment outcomes despite the overall improvement.
For investors, workforce planning is becoming an important part of project preparation. Wage assumptions, recruitment of foreign workers, training, accommodation and labour productivity need to be incorporated into investment planning as Montenegro’s expanding project pipeline increases demand for appropriately skilled employees.
