Population activity and the level of inclusion in the labour market is one of Croatia's major problems and is a consequence of bad policies and a lack of structural conformity of labour demand and supply, HGK says.
HGK analysts warned of the disturbing fact that currently (figures for January) indicate that the state of affairs of the working population is at a historical low level, 1,619,700 persons, by 147,000 fewer than in January 2008.
One of the factors that contributes to this situation is the short working life and early retirement.
According to the latest Eurostat data for 2013, the average working life in Croatia was 31 years, the third lowest in Europe after Hungary with 30.8-year-long working life and Italy, 30.3 years.
In Europe, Iceland tops the list with 45.6 years and Switzerland follows with 41.9 years, while Sweden ranks third, 40.9 years.
When it comes to the 28-strong EU, its average working life is 35.1 years.
Apart from Sweden, some other EU member-states with an average working life above the EU average are The Netherlands, 39.8 years, Germany 37.8 years, the UK, 38.4 years, or Denmark 38.9 years.