Equal Opportunities Advisory Services with Kosovo Infrakos

Kosovo has the lowest female labour force participation rate in Europe. In 2014 only about 21 per cent of women in Kosovo were active in the formal labour market, compared with 61 per cent of men.

To help address this, the EBRD started an Equal Opportunities (EO) Advisory Services Programme with a state-owned railway company Infrastructure Kosovo Railways JSC (“Infrakos”). The objective is to help Infrakos promote EO policies and practices with a view to increasing the number of women who currently account for fewer than 6 per cent of the company’s 322 employees.

The project has gathered and analysed information about the current situation on EO and broader human resources practices at Infrakos and gone on to develop bespoke recommendations that Infrakos can consider implementing to improve EO outcomes for all of its workers and to increase the company’s capacity to reach out to the broadest talent pool.

Infrakos reacted positively to most of the recommendations and has already started taking some of them on board. Infrakos has also designed its first ever staff satisfaction survey which will cover a wide range of issues.