Smart interventions for job creation

Since 2013, the Promoting Private Sector Employment (PPSE) has had a pioneering mission in Kosovo — increase employment and employability by supporting growing and resilient SMEs and farms in the food and natural ingredients (FNI) and tourism sectors.

The project has been sufficiently selective that the interventions primarily contributed to innovation, consolidation, and sustainability of the sectors. These smart interventions resulted in newly created full-time jobs, created employment opportunities for active jobseekers, and substantially increased the contracted farming practices, that ultimately presented 259 new products and services to the market. The success of the project relies on robust partnerships with SMEs to co-finance these products and services, to achieve meaningful impact and validate commitment.

Last month, the Ambassador of Switzerland in Kosovo, HE Thomas Kolly and the Kosovo Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, signed an agreement for the next phase of PPSE (Promoting Private Sector Employment) project.

“Through this new phase of the PPSE, we will continue to help young people, women and non-majority communities find decent jobs in the food and tourism sector. Private sector development and the creation of decent jobs in Kosovo is a long-term commitment of the Swiss government”, said Ambassador Kolly.

By the end of 2025, PPSE interventions predict an estimate of an additional 1,130 full-time jobs, provision of decent work opportunities to women and non-majority communities and the introduction of 210 new or improved products and services in the FNI and tourism sectors.

The first results of the third phase of PPSE have already sprung up. With the continuous support from the project, SMEs have introduced new products and services in the FNI and tourism industry. Upgraded products and services, such as locally-sourced and organically certified snack manufacturing, improved contracted farming practices and the promotion of Kosovo as an adventure tourism and cultural destination will remain key areas of support from PPSE to further propel employment and job creation.

In the FNI sector, SMEs will increase their knowledge on the organic certification process and visit regional beekeepers for information exchange and knowledge sharing, with the support from PPSE.

Promoting Private Sector Employment is a Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) project implemented by Swisscontact in Kosovo.