HRVATSKI ZAVOD ZA ZAPOŠLJAVANJE

What HRVATSKI ZAVOD ZA ZAPOŠLJAVANJE does

Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje (HZZ, the Croatian Employment Service) is the statutorily designated national public employment service of Croatia, operating under the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy. It performs labor market intermediation, disburses active employment policy measures, administers unemployment insurance, runs career guidance programs, and produces official labor market statistics. HZZ serves two primary constituencies: registered unemployed individuals and job seekers (60,120 registered as of May 2026, including long-term unemployed, youth NEETs, persons with disabilities, and Croatian war veterans), and Croatian employers ranging from small crafts to public institutions across all counties. Named employer activity in the data set skews toward education-sector postings (e.g., kindergartens in Garešnica, Lepoglava, Sveti Petar Orehovec, Medulin, and Kali), illustrating the breadth of public-sector employer usage.

HZZ's technology stack is an integrated suite of web portals rather than a single product. The Burza rada portal is the primary job exchange, supporting online unemployment registration, CV storage in EuroPass format, vacancy posting, and candidate search; the Mjere portal handles applications for active employment policy subsidies, self-employment grants, and training; the Statistika service provides interactive labor market data from 1952 onward; Razvoj karijere and Moj CISOK deliver career guidance, workshops, and online education. All portals authenticate via NIAS / e-Građani and exchange data with HZMO (pensions, 1.78M insured persons), HZZO (health), and FINA (finance). The institution is GDPR-compliant and operates with documented technical and organizational controls for personal data protection.

HZZ is a public institution (javna ustanova) funded through Croatian state budget allocations and co-financing from the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme "Effective Human Potentials 2021-2027." All services are free at point of use for both job seekers and employers; there is no fee-based pricing model. Distribution combines self-serve digital portals with a nationwide network of regional offices in every county (županija) plus CISOK career centres. HZZ is the Croatian member of EURES, the PES Network, and an active participant in the European Labour Authority, giving it cross-border labor mobility reach that no domestic private competitor matches.

Name

HRVATSKI ZAVOD ZA ZAPOŠLJAVANJE

Legal name

Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje

Website

https://hzz.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

HZZ is Croatia's national public employment service, operating the Burza rada job exchange, Mjere active-employment-policy portal, CISOK career centres, and labor market statistics since 1952. It serves registered job seekers and employers across all Croatian counties, funded by the state budget and the European Social Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Employment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal & Compliance Direct Hire (BPACAFAJ)

Keywords

• Public employment services
• Job matching portal
• Unemployment benefits administration
• Active labor market policies
• Career counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zagreb

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: As a public institution (javna ustanova), HZZ is primarily funded through the Croatian state budget. Funding is allocated by the Croatian Government and managed through the Croatian Financial Agency (FINA) for benefit payments and the EU Cohesion Fund for active labor market policies.
2. EU Cohesion Policy Funding (ESF/European Social Fund): Active employment policy measures are co-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Operational Programme for Effective Human Potentials 2021-2027. These funds support grants for self-employment, employment subsidies, training, internships, and public works programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

HZZ is the Croatian national public employment service that intermediates between job seekers and employers by operating the Burza rada job exchange portal, providing free professional candidate selection for employers, administering unemployment benefits and cash allowances, and implementing active employment policy measures (employment subsidies, self-employment grants, internships, training, public works, and education vouchers). It also runs career counseling through the CISOK centre network and publishes labor market statistics on the Statistika on-line platform. Services are delivered free of charge to both individuals and employers across all Croatian counties and via a suite of interconnected online portals authenticated through the national NIAS/e-Građani system.

Product overview

HZZ (Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje) is Croatia's public employment service offering a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms. The core offerings include Burza rada (job exchange portal) for vacancy posting and CV submission, Mjere portal for active employment policy measures, Razvoj karijere for career development tools, Statistika for labor market statistics, and CISOK for career counseling services. The services support job seekers, employers, and the government in managing the Croatian labor market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Burza rada: Job exchange portal - the largest job listing marketplace in Croatia, allowing employers to post vacancies and job seekers to submit resumes
• Mjere.hzz.hr
• Razvoj karijere
• Moj CISOK
• Statistika on-line
• Vaučeri
• Sezonski poslovi
• EURES

Products and services

• Burza rada (Labor Exchange Portal) Online job exchange portal enabling job seekers to register, search vacancies, create EuroPass-format CVs, and apply for positions, while employers can post job listings, search candidate resumes, and manage hiring. Supports online unemployment registration and cash benefit applications. It is the largest job board in Croatia.
• Mjere (Active Employment Policy Measures Portal) Online portal providing information and application workflows for active employment policy measures (APZ) including self-employment grants, employment subsidies, internships, training, public works, and wage subsidy programs. Supports end-to-end digital submission with scoring criteria for both job seekers and employers.
• Razvoj karijere (Career Development Portal) Online career development portal offering career counseling tools, resume templates, interview preparation guides, skills assessment tools, and online career planning resources for job seekers and career changers.
• Statistika on-line (Labor Market Statistics Portal) Interactive statistical database providing monthly and annual labor market data (registered unemployment, entries/exits from registry, job vacancies) by county, education level, occupation, economic activity, gender, and age, covering the period from 1952 to present.
• CISOK (Career Information and Counseling Centers) Network of Career Information and Counselling Centres offering free in-person workshops, online education, career guidance, interview preparation, CV writing, and entrepreneurship training for job seekers. The Moj CISOK platform provides online registration for workshops.
• EURES (European Job Mobility Portal) European Job Mobility Portal connecting Croatian job seekers with employment opportunities across EU/EEA countries. Provides cross-border placement services, skill profiling, and access to the European Labour Authority (ELA) initiatives for both job seekers and employers.
• Vaučeri (Education Vouchers) Education voucher program providing co-financing for unemployed persons to acquire green and digital skills through approved training programs.
• Unemployment Cash Benefit Administration Statutory administration of unemployment insurance benefits and cash allowances for registered unemployed persons in Croatia, including online application via the Burza rada portal.
• Free Professional Candidate Selection for Employers Free professional recruitment service for employers, including professional candidate selection, CV searches via the Burza rada portal, candidate testing (Testiranje osobina kandidata), and labor market testing (Test tržišta rada) for foreign worker recruitment.
• Work Permits and Labor Market Testing for Foreign Workers Statutory service supporting Croatian employers in hiring third-country nationals, including administration of labor market testing (Test tržišta rada) to demonstrate that no suitable Croatian/EU candidates are available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.3% registered unemployment rate in Croatia (May 2026) — significantly below the EU 27 average of 6.2%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• EURES (European Employment Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHZZ is the Croatian member of the EURES European job mobility network, coordinated by the European Commission. EURES provides cross-border placement services, skill profiling, and supports free movement of workers within the EU/EEA. HZZ participates in EURES meetings, conferences, and events such as the European Labour Authority (ELA) conference on labor shortages.
• PES Network (Public Employment Services Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHZZ is a member of the PES Network, a European network of public employment services that shares best practices, develops joint initiatives, and coordinates labor market policies across EU member states. HZZ participates in the network's committee meetings and knowledge-sharing programs.
• European Labour Authority (ELA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHZZ participates in ELA-organized conferences and initiatives addressing cross-border labor market challenges. ELA supports cooperation between national public employment services in areas such as labor mobility, Posted Workers Directive enforcement, and tackling labor shortages.
• HZMO (Hrvatski zavod za mirovinsko osiguranje)coreTechnology or IntegrationHZZ exchanges employment and insurance data with HZMO (Croatian Pension Insurance Institute) for verifying employment status, unemployment registrations, and self-employment activity. This data integration is used to verify compliance with active employment policy measure obligations.
• Croatian Financial Agency (FINA)coreTechnology or IntegrationHZZ collaborates with FINA for processing financial documents, account blockage certificates, and payment transactions related to active employment measures. FINA also provides e-Građani registration points for citizens without digital identity credentials.
• Garancija za mlade (Youth Guarantee)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHZZ participates in the Garancija za mlade (Youth Guarantee) program, an EU-wide initiative ensuring that young people under 25 receive a quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship, or traineeship within 4 months of leaving school or becoming unemployed.
• Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje (HZZZ)coreTechnology or IntegrationHZZ exchanges data with the Croatian Health Insurance Institute for verifying health insurance status of registered unemployed persons and coordinating health and social insurance aspects of employment programs.
• Croatian counties (županije) and citiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHZZ cooperates with regional and local self-government units for implementing public works (javni rad) programs, organizing job fairs such as 'Dani poslova i profesionalnog usmjeravanja', and delivering localized employment services. Notable examples include collaboration with Split-Dalmatia County and the City of Split.
• Alliance of Roma in Croatia 'KALI SARA'minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHZZ's regional office in Sisak participates in the Roma community inclusion project 'KALI SARA – Most obostranog razumijevanja' (Bridge of Mutual Understanding), supporting employment integration of Roma minorities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE): Spain's national public employment service managing unemployment benefits, intermediation, and active policies; comparable business model and service portfolio to HZZ but operating in the Spanish labor market.
• National Employment Service (Bulgaria): Bulgaria's state employment agency performing intermediation, unemployment registration, and active labor market measures funded by ESF — comparable PES mandate to HZZ in a neighboring EU market.
• France Travail (formerly Pôle Emploi): France's national public employment service operating unemployment registration, benefits administration, and job placement under a state mandate — structurally identical role to HZZ in Croatia, but serving the French labor market.
• ANPAL: Italy's National Agency for Active Labour Market Policies, coordinating PES functions, active measures, and labor-market data — a structural peer to HZZ operating in Italy.
• Zavod Republike Slovenije za zaposlovanje (ZRSZ): Slovenia's national employment service providing placement, unemployment benefits, and career guidance; the most directly comparable PES to HZZ in neighboring Slovenia, given similar size and EU programming-period alignment.
• Bundesagentur für Arbeit: Germany's federal employment agency, performing unemployment insurance, job placement, vocational guidance, and active labor market programs under federal mandate — the closest large-scale analog to HZZ's statutory PES role, operating in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Indeed: Global job search engine aggregating employer postings and providing sponsored placement; a key alternative channel for Croatian employers and job seekers that competes with HZZ's Burza rada.
• LinkedIn (Microsoft): Dominant professional networking and recruiting platform with global reach in white-collar job matching; competes for employer job postings and candidate engagement that would otherwise flow to PES platforms like HZZ.
• Randstad: Global staffing and HR services firm with permanent placement and workforce solutions; competes for employer recruitment spend that might otherwise use HZZ, especially in mid-to-senior professional roles.
• ManpowerGroup: Global staffing and workforce solutions firm offering permanent placement, temp staffing, and career transition services at commercial scale; competes with HZZ in employer-paid recruitment but operates across many sectors and countries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hzz_hr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzpi28kLfsfYljcV324LHog
• Facebookfacebook.com/HrvatskiZavodZaZaposljavanje
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hrvatski-zavod-za-zapo-ljavanje-hzz---croatian-employment-service-ces-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HRVATSKI ZAVOD ZA ZAPOŠLJAVANJE