by croatiaweek
September 4, 2025
in
After showing signs of recovery in July, Croatia’s labour market cooled again in August, with the Online Vacancy Index (OVI) recording a significant annual drop of -14.2%, The Institute of Economics, Zagreb, published today.
Seasonally adjusted data also showed a decline compared to July, down by -10.6%, reversing the growth seen earlier in the summer.
Since the end of last year, the index has fallen by -13.5%, while the third quarter so far remains in negative territory by -6.4%. Whether September will lift activity for the quarter will depend on the volume of new job advertisements.
Croatia’s most sought-after jobs
The five most advertised professions in August remained unchanged compared to last year, though their positions shifted:
• Salespersons held on to first place.
• Warehouse workers climbed to second.
• Drivers rose sharply, moving from fifth to third.
• Waiters slipped from second to fourth.
• Cooks fell to fifth place.
Meanwhile, teachers saw the biggest drop, sliding 20 places, reflecting the seasonal surge in July ahead of the school year, followed by a natural decline in August. On the other hand, mechanical engineers made notable gains, climbing eight spots to 14th place. Finance roles also contributed positively to August’s figures.
Education and employment trends
Despite the overall slowdown, advertisements requiring secondary-level education rose by 3.3 percentage points. By contrast, the share of postings requiring low or high levels of education fell. All education categories, however, contributed negatively to the overall drop in vacancies.
The preference for permanent contracts continued to grow, with 57.1% of advertisements offering permanent employment, compared to 36.5% for fixed-term roles.
Regional picture
All regions saw a fall in job advertisements in August:
• Eastern Croatia recorded the steepest decline at -37.9%.
• The northern Adriatic followed with -28.6%.
• The southern Adriatic dropped by -19.5%.
• Central Croatia fared slightly better with a -7.0% decrease.
In central Croatia, demand fell most sharply for teachers, clerks, and nurses, while job postings rose in finance, warehousing, and construction.
What is the OVI Index?
The Online Vacancy Index (OVI) is a monthly measure of job advertisements created by the Institute of Economics, Zagreb, in cooperation with MojPosao. It tracks the number of new postings whose application deadlines fall within the month, using 2020 as the base year. Values above 100 indicate growth compared with 2020, while figures below 100 reflect a decline. The index is adjusted for seasonal patterns.
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