Croatia is facing a significant employment problem, with approximately half a million working-age Croats not employed or studying. Despite a decrease in unemployment over recent years, Croatia remains among the worst in the EU for the share of employees among the working population. A significant percentage of the population does not work, don’t bother to look for work, and don’t study. This raises the question of why so many working-age Croats don’t bother to find employment.

Real estate agents typically work in luxury new buildings, helping others make important decisions in their lives, such as buying an ideal home. However, it appears that working-age Croats are not very interested in this field, as they are usually sold to customers before the first concrete is laid.

Over half a million working-age Croats, aged 15 to 64, are currently not working, looking for a job, or in some form of formal education. This represents almost 22% of the domestic working population. Romania, Italy, and Greece are worse than Croatia in this respect. If Croatia were compared to better nations like Sweden, more than 300,000 people would still be employed, looking for a job, or studying. Some are in this situation due to circumstances such as illness, disability, or family care, but there are plenty of working-age Croats who simply refuse work unjustifiably.

The majority of people without a job, who are not looking for one, and aren’t in education are over 55, both in Croatia and across the rest of the EU. In Croatia, only about half of the people in that age group work, while in Germany, the Netherlands, or the Czech Republic, more than 70% of people over the age of 55 remain employed.

The term „NEETs” originated in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s. Coined by sociologist Paul Willis, it stands for „Not in Education, Employment, or Training,” identifying a demographic disengaged from traditional societal structures. Sociologists believe that it predicts when societies will start facing serious problems with social cohesion.