Members of the non-majority communities living in Kosovo for many years complain about non-compliance with the legislation in force regarding their employment in the public sector. According to them, the percentage of their representation in the civil service has not been fulfilled, and to make matters worse, the institutions do not even provide clear statistics regarding this issue.

The municipality of Prizren stands out as a multi-ethnic center with rich cultural diversity. But even in this municipality, members of the communities emphasize that local and central level institutions do not respect the quota for the employment of ethnic minorities in the public sector. Concerns of this nature have so far been expressed in various forums, while the efforts of the Committee for Communities to sensitize decision-making towards the implementation of legal obligations have not produced any concrete results.

Representatives of the Turkish community have highlighted the need for the publication of statistics by the responsible institutions, such as the Government and municipalities, so that the non-majority communities have an overview and, based on this data, guide their commitment to the implementation of legislation in cooperation with the relevant institutions. According to them, the reports of the institutions on this issue are incomplete.

Representatives of the Bosnian community have recalled that in terms of employment, the current legislation provides that non-majority communities at the central level are represented in 10 percent of positions, which according to them is not being respected not only now but for years. According to them, the corresponding percentage is not being respected even at the municipal level.

Representatives of the Ashkali community have emphasized that together with the Roma and Egyptian communities they are in the most unfavorable position, while there have been no adequate measures from the institutions for the employment of members of these communities in the public sector, despite the requests made.

According to the legislation in force, within the civil service in the institutions of the central level, at least 10 percent of the positions must be reserved for people who belong to communities that are not the majority in Kosovo and who fulfill the specific employment criteria, while at the municipal level for the qualified members of the communities that are not the majority in the municipality, it is envisaged that the number of jobs will be reserved in accordance with the percentage representation of the communities of the respective municipality.

At the same time, the Law on the protection and promotion on the rights of communities and their members in the Republic of Kosovo provides that members of ethnic minorities have the right to equal representation in employment at all levels in public enterprises, public institutions, including the security sector, the judiciary, the prosecution service, government agencies dealing with the administration of justice and correctional services, defense, security and intelligence.

However, the latest European Union report on Kosovo has found that ethnic minorities remain under-represented in terms of employment in the public sector. "The employment of people belonging to non-majority communities in the public sector falls below the threshold of 10 percent provided by the relevant legislation. These people remain generally under-represented in the civil service at all levels," the report reads.

In this regard, women of ethnic minorities are in an even more difficult position, even though the law provides that the Republic of Kosovo ensures equality in employment, as well as the taking of special measures by institutions against this discrimination.

The latest report of the European Union on Kosovo, regarding non-discrimination in employment and social policy, has emphasized that Kosovo should intensify efforts to address discrimination against women, among other things by implementing legislation for the Law on Protection from Discrimination, in which the authorities must address discrimination against women, especially those belonging to non-majority communities.

Therefore, the responsible institutions should change the current practices, both by publishing the correct data and statistics of employment in the public sector, and by taking concrete actions to fulfill legal obligations in relation to the employment of non-majority communities in the public sector. . The responsible institutions have the obligation to put into practice the legal provisions, with which it is emphasized that the Republic of Kosovo guarantees full and effective equality for all citizens, where its national, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity is considered a source of strength and wealth for further development of a democratic society based on the rule of law, while for the development of the Republic of Kosovo, the active contribution of all people belonging to the communities is encouraged and appreciated.