Serbian National Employment Service (NSZ) expects that the unemployment rate in Serbia could increase from current 14% to 17-18%, Director of the NSZ department for employment mediation Dragan Djukic stated, reports Tanjug news agency.

"As far as this year's employment fluctuation is concerned, there is no drastic increase compared to the same period in 2008. We monitor the situation, we expect an increase of unemployment, we will see to what degree, some rough estimations show that it can rise to about 17-18% by the end of the year," Djukic told the reporters.

At the opening of the employment fair Career days 2009 at the Belgrade Arena Wednesday, Djukic said that the consequences of the global economic crisis are yet to be felt in Serbia, whereupon the stress from job loss is the most prevalent.