Today, GAP Institute, Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), and Institute for Development Policy (INDEP), under the “Support to civil society to increase public oversight and accountability of Kosovo public institutions” project, supported by the British Embassy in Kosovo, held a press conference, where the findings of the report “Employment and Representation of Women in Central Public Enterprises in Kosovo” were presented.
This report examines employment and representation data for women in 16 central public enterprises, focusing on management and senior positions, as well as roles in administration and fieldwork.
In 2023, these enterprises collectively employed 12,278 persons. Overall, 22% of all employees in public enterprises work in administration and management, while 78% are engaged in fieldwork. In recent years, a more positive trend has been observed, particularly in the representation of women on enterprise boards and in senior management positions. Specifically, as of December 2024, in 14 of the 16 analyzed enterprises, over 40% of board members are women. Notably, in cases such as Telecom (80%), Mitrovica RWC (60%), Kosovo Post (50%), and Radoniqi RWC (50%), women make up 50% or more of board members. However, between 2021 and 2023, certain enterprises—such as Trepça, the Kosovo Landfill Management Company (2021), Trainkos (2021), and Drini i Bardhë RWC—had boards composed entirely of men, creating significant gender imbalance. By December 2024, the gender ratio in most of these enterprises’ boards improved to 60% men and 40% women.
On the other hand, the representation of women in senior management remains relatively low. Nonetheless, 2023 saw some positive developments, with the percentage of women holding such positions in these 16 public enterprises increasing from 21% to 26%. In administrative roles, 31% of employees are women, compared to 69% men. A more significant disparity exists in fieldwork or manufacturing roles within these enterprises, where 96% of employees are men, and only 4% are women.
Between 2021 and 2023, a decline in the total number of employees in these public enterprises was observed, with 2023 recording approximately 8.8% fewer employees than in 2021. For example, Kosovo Telecom had 488 fewer employees (-21.2%), Trepça 290 fewer (-19.6%), and KEK 146 fewer (-3.9%), among others. The factors contributing to the reduction in the number of employees include an aging workforce and voluntary redundancy packages adopted by some enterprises, as well as the reorganization or restructuring of job positions. In terms of workforce growth, only Prishtina RWC has shown a significant increase (+11.9%), with 65 more employees in 2023 compared to 2022.