Croatian employment service – active employment policy measures

The Croatian Employment Service (Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje) is a public institution that regulates the labor market in Croatia, providing support to unemployed individuals and employers through counseling, financial assistance, and training programs.

Active employment policy measures are introduced at the beginning of each calendar year. For each measure, the Croatian Employment Service determines the following: target groups, the amount of support (which depends on the education level of the subsidized individual), the minimum gross wage, and the duration of the measure

Measures catalog for 2025

• Employment support and Green/Digital employment support – This support is intended for employers who hire vulnerable groups, such as long-term unemployed individuals, young people with no work experience, and persons with disabilities. The amount of the support depends on the education level of the subsidized individual, while the green and digital versions of this support encourage employment in jobs focused on ecological (e.g., eco-product manufacturing) and technological activities (e.g., programming).
• Support for employment of individuals included in the POSAO+ (JOB+) program – This support is intended for long-term unemployed individuals (registered for at least 12 months), persons with disabilities, those without a high school qualification, or recipients of guaranteed minimum compensation. A precondition for receiving the support is the prior participation of the subsidized individual in education through vouchers, the Croatian Employment Service’s Activation program, or social mentoring.
• Internship support for youth and Green/Digital internship support – The goal of this measure is to prepare individuals for independent work. The target groups are unemployed individuals registered in the employment registry who are being employed for the first time to perform work in the occupation for which they were educated, as well as young people under 29 years of age registered in the employment registry. One version of this measure is the green/digital support, which focuses on green and digital activities.
• Self-employment support and Green/Digital self-employment support – This support can be granted to an unemployed person to cover the costs of establishing and starting a business in the following organizational forms: craft, company, sole proprietorship, and institution. The amount of the support depends on the activities the business will undertake. The green/digital version refers to starting a green/digital business.
• I choose Croatia (Biram Hrvatsku) – Workforce mobility is a measure that encourages self-employment in less developed areas of Croatia, such as Slavonia, Banovina, and Lika, as well it also applies to returnees from EEA countries and other countries who open businesses in Croatia that add value to the economy.
• Training Support are subsidies granted to employers for the professional development of employees through formal or informal education programs. They are intended for individuals who are employed with the employer on a full-time, permanent basis and are registered in the Croatian pension insurance Institute.
• Workplace training is a measure that enables unemployed individuals to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to perform specific job tasks or to refresh skills lost over time.
• Public work is a non-profit, temporary work measure that enables co-financing of the employment of unemployed individuals from targeted groups, based on initiatives from local communities and civil organizations. Preference is given to programs in social care, education, environmental protection, and public work, with the users of the measure including, for example, local government units.
• Support for job retention (shortening working hours) aims to preserve jobs for employers experiencing temporary business difficulties. The beneficiaries of this measure are employers in the manufacturing sector, provided they employ 10 or more workers.
• Job retention measure in the manufacturing industry is a measure that temporarily compensates the difference between the minimum wage for 2025 (970 EUR) and the average gross wage per worker for the last 3 months of 2024.
• Primary school completion is targeted at unemployed individuals without a completed primary school education who are registered in the unemployment registry. Actual travel expenses during the education period are covered.
• Activation program – The goal of this measure is to equip unemployed individuals with practical knowledge and skills necessary for their active participation in the labor market. The measure includes financial assistance for the days of participation in the program and reimbursement of travel expenses.

Details about all the measures, target groups, and the criteria that need to be met for their allocation can be found on the Croatian Employment Services website.