Encouraging the creation of new jobs in small and medium companies and fostering entrepreneurship will be the priority activities which should help increase the employment rate, reads the national employment strategy for 2011-2020, adopted by the Serbian government Thursday.

The strategy regulates longterm employment policy, goals and priorities, said the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, which sponsored the document.

Cutting the gap in labor market indicators between Serbia and the EU is one of the priorities of the strategy.

A sustainable growth in employment, especially in the private sector, will depend not only on the number but on the quality of jobs.

Encouraging direct foreign investments and export-oriented programs should help boost employment, it is said in the document.