What's new

  1. © AFP/Europress 2022

    New enterprises survey

    Weathering the storm: Montenegrin Employers organization helps Government in shaping COVID-19 policy response

    19 April 2021

    The COVID-19 crisis devastated Montenegro’s large tourism sector with knock-on effects on the whole economy. In 2020, Montenegro’s GDP decline of an estimated 15.2 per cent was one of the deepest in Europe. With the crisis showing no signs of abating, enterprises are in need of further support measures to be able to navigate this turbulent period. The ILO supported the Montenegrin Employers Federation (MEF) to conduct a second survey to track the impact of the crisis on enterprise, and assess the effectiveness of government measures adopted so far. Analysing the survey results, MEF proposed support measures for enterprises, some of which have been incorporated in the latest COVID-19 response package adopted by the government at the end of January 2021.

  2. © iStock 2022

    ILO support to Employers' organizations during the pandemic

    North Macedonia extends wage support to enterprises as Covid-19 pandemic enters the third wave

    26 March 2021

    In the last quarter of 2020, the ILO supported the Organization of Employers of Macedonia (OEM) and Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM) in conducting a second countrywide enterprise survey with the aim to track business challenges and needs resulting from the protracted COVID-19 crisis. The survey helped to assess the effectiveness of economic emergency measures implemented through the four support packages launched by Government so far. Additionally, the survey sought to identify the type of support expected under the fifth support package. Wage subsidy, initially discarded by the Government was assessed as the most sought after type of support by the enterprises. The evidence collected through the survey was crucial in informing the Government decision to extend the wage subsidy schemes for enterprises, which was included in the new support package, adopted in February 2021.

  3. © iStock 2022

    ILO Convention No. 161

    Moldova pledges safer and healthier workplaces

    19 March 2021

    In Moldova, if you choose to work in construction, agriculture or transportation you may run a high risk of work-related injury. This is what the statistics tell us. In 2019, every third work-related accident in the construction sector caused a loss of life, according to the State Labour Inspection. Paradoxically, the statistics are silent when it comes to workers suffering from occupational diseases, nor do they cast any light on jobs with high risk of occupational illnesses. Weak occupational safety and health (OSH) governance, failure to diagnose diseases by the health services as well as lax notification practices by employers are to blame. On 4 March 2021, the Moldovan Parliament enacted legislation ratifying the ILO Occupational Health Services Convention No. 161, which is a major step to address these problems. The Convention guides actions on protecting workers against work-related injuries, diseases and deaths. It reinforces the national system of occupational safety and health, and the provision of occupational health services which are key elements of a successful national OSH system.

  4. Towards a comprehensive and resilient social security system

    Social security and COVID-19: Which measures were effective in protecting workers?

    11 March 2021

    The recent ILO report reviews the national social security measures in response to the COVID-19 crisis, analyses their effectiveness, and discusses future challenges in improving the social security systems. The report covers seven countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine.

  5. © AFP/Europress 2022

    Policies for COVID-19 and beyond

    Teleworking in Montenegro: ILO offers guidelines on effective working arrangements from home

    10 March 2021

    Montenegro has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and had to go for lockdowns and stay-at-home measures for the workforce wherever possible. The ILO has been requested by the government to provide legal advisory on updated teleworking policies. The ILO guidelines were recently endorsed by the Social Council of Montenegro as a platform for further discussion.

  6. © AFP/Europress 2022

    COVID-19 and the World of work

    ILO/EBRD assessment report says COVID-19 threatens 245,000 jobs in Bosnia and Herzegovina

    02 March 2021

    In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the ILO Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, jointly assessed the impact of the crisis on the Western Balkan labour markets. The latest impact assessment report is on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Reports on North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia were published last year.

  7. My labour, my rights

    Do you know your labour rights? Web-based solutions developed by ILO keep youth and workers informed in North Macedonia and Moldova

    26 February 2021

    Youngsters tend to be inseparable from their phones, spending hours connecting with friends, searching for information, or playing games. This habitual use of smartphones is what the ILO built on when it launched the national competition for vocational and secondary schools to promote a new application that educates young people about their rights at work in the Republic of Moldova. The application “Rights at Work for Youth” is an educational game that provides information about rights at the workplace.

  8. © iStock 2022

    Lifelong learning

    Why Trade Unions should act on Skills Development – and how?

    19 February 2021

    To build a ‘better normal’ in the post-COVID-19 world of work, skills development and lifelong learning need to be part of economic transformation. This responsibility should not reside with governments and companies alone. Trade Unions have an important role to play in shaping the professional development of workers at any age. A new, easy-to-use ILO Resource Guide illustrates how Trade Unions can engage more effectively in skills development policies and practices.

  9. © Eriona Cami/ILO 2022

    Create growth, preserve nature

    Authentic and green tourism off the beaten tracks in Albania’s Vjosa river region

    19 February 2021

    Albania is a dream tourism destination. The variety of alluring sandy seashores, alpine mountains and ancient fortress towns coupled with genuine hospitality has made the country a top hit with tourists in the past decade. To unlock further potential, the ILO conducted a study on the tourism sector in the Gjirokastra region, Southern Albania, a region characterised by a constant outflow of habitants who look for jobs and better life conditions in the capital of the country or abroad.

  10. © Sacha Jennis 2022

    Employment creation

    ILO signs two major new agreements with the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina to scale up job creation and support for small and medium enterprises

    02 February 2021

    Building on the solid results of previous ILO interventions also funded by the European Union, the new projects will provide emergency support for micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for recovery from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for long-term local employment partnerships, respectively.