Functional Review of the National Employment Services in the Western Balkans

Project Lead: Alexander Schnabl
Team: Helmut Hofer, Sarah Lappöhn, Hannes Zenz
Duration: 2017–2018
Funding: The World Bank Group


The primary objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of the national employment services of 5 countries in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) by benchmarking their inputs, activities, and outputs. Using the methodology of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), rankings of the branch offices in terms of their efficiency were created. In order to account for economic and other differences in the catchment area of the branch offices, the results were measured against a range of control variables. Ultimately, the results provided guidance on areas of adjustment—both in terms of inputs and outputs—for each branch office.