Today, approximately 3.6 percent of the world’s population are migrants. While most leave for better opportunities, others are forced out of their homes due to conflict and climate change.

We’re headed towards a future with liquid borders. The Covid-19 pandemic has already nudged the world closer to that eventuality. Forced or voluntary, migration is an undeniable reality. As skills gain mobility, so do those who possess them.

Research shows that 18 percent of the global workforce is employed in sectors that can easily adapt to remote work. Labour and skills shortage in the EU's largest economies continue to mount, and aging demographics are predicted to shrink the active workforce by 50 million in the next 30 years. As the workforce shrinks, more will move away from their place of work and adapt to the remote working lifestyle.

Relocate, which serves as the first independent marketplace for global migration, invites you to a conference series that confronts the complex realities of digital nomadism and what it entails for the future of work.

Belgrade has emerged as a popular destination for digital nomads despite not offering a specific visa, thanks to the country’s lenient restrictions in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The capital city of Belgrade has a population of 1.5 million people, and is one of the oldest and continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the world. It also served as the capital of former Yugoslavia from its creation in 1918 to its dissolution in 2006.

Serbia carries the vibe of a world-class metropole, but is still one of the cheapest capitals in Europe. A one room apartment in Belgrade would rent for anywhere from $200-$400.

The city has seen a tech and digital nomad boom in recent years – according to some estimates, tech accounts for at least six percent of Serbia’s GDP, while employing some 45,000 people. Since 2015, Serbian startups have raised over $500 million.

But Serbia’s popularity precedes the pandemic. In its Digital Nomad scanner 2020 report, nonprofit tech outfit Digital Serbia Initiative and UNDP Accelerator Lab Serbia project called “Belgrade - a digital friendly city,” affirming the country’s potential to rise as a remote-work friendly destination.

In terms of digital infrastructure, Serbia ranks 55th for the speediest internet in the world.

According to speedtest.net, the country was averaging 83.04Mbps in July of 2021.

While digital nomads can find coworking spots with ease in Belgrade and Novi Sad, the concept of coliving spaces has also taken off in the recent past. Locations such as Mokrin House, the only co-living space in Serbia, designed specifically for DNs and entrepreneurs and rural coliving initiatives such as Maglian Campus are gaining special attention as Serbia puts itself on the remote working map.