All news: Republic of North Macedonia
Three essential questions
What are the proven means to reduce informality?
In our series of interviews with leading researchers, economists and policymakers, we interviewed Professor Ioana Alexandra Horodnic, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași, Romania on how...
Three essential questions
How did minimum wage impact North Macedonia’s labour market?
In our series of interviews with leading researchers, economists and policy-makers, we interviewed Maja Gerovska Mitev, Professor of Social Policy at the Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia. She...
Workers' rights
ITUC Global Rights Index 2022 shows that many workers in Central and Eastern Europe have no access to rights
In July 2022, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released its yearly Global Rights Index. It shows that in Europe, the most frequently violated rights have been the right to strike and the right to bargain collectively. Through...
Increase of minimum wage
North Macedonia: Raising the minimum wage to combat working poverty
The Government of North Macedonia recently raised the legal minimum wage by 18% to 18,000 denars (290 EUR). Almost one out of five workers in the Southeast European country will benefit from this increase. The ILO provided technical assistance and...
Job creation in the Western Balkans
How nearshoring may create opportunities for the Western Balkan economies?
In this issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies, we talked to Zuzana Zavarska, Economist at the Vienna Institute for...
Vocational education
“Virtual” is now a TVET training reality in North Macedonia
When mishandling equipment can cause damages or even fatal accidents, investment into quality training is indispensable. This holds especially true for electrotechnical professions. In North Macedonia, the ILO and partners introduced for the first...
New trade union services to workers
Information is power: new web application protects workers’ rights in North Macedonia
The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) with ILO assistance developed a web application which enables reporting labour rights violations to trade unions and ultimately to the State Labour Inspectorate. Since its launch on 23 April 2021, ...
Latest labour survey data
Workers’ education level for their jobs: is it a match in South East Europe?
Many people are working in jobs that do not match their level of education. At the same time, many employers claim to have difficulties in finding workers with the skills that they need to expand their business and innovate successfully. This...
ILO/EU partnership
Youth Guarantee garners speed in the Western Balkans
Inspired by similar schemes in the EU Member States, a youth guarantee is a commitment to support every young person under the age of 30 who is not employed, in education or training (so-called NEETs). This commitment entitles young people to...
Labour rights infringed during the pandemic
Three essential questions to Aleksandar Ristovski, Professor of Labour Law, Skopje
In the third issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies, we talked to Aleksandar Ristovski, Professor of Labour Law at ‘Ss. Cyril...
Job-rich recovery for women
Three Essential Questions: Interview with Réka Sáfrány, President of European Women's Lobby
This is the second issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies. The interviewee this time is Réka Sáfrány, newly elected President...
ILO support for Trade Unions during the pandemic
ITUC Global Rights Index for 2021 shows that COVID-19 impacted workers’ rights in Central and Eastern Europe
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has released its yearly Global Rights Index for 2021. The report shows that the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in violations of workers’ rights across the globe. In Europe, the most frequently...
Introducing a youth guarantee (YG) in the Western Balkans
The European Commission and the ILO join forces to support young people
A new EC/ILO Technical Assistance Facility set up to pursue youth employment in the Western Balkans.
Policy innovations responding to the pandemic
Three essential questions to Mihail Arandarenko, Professor at University of Belgrade, Faculty of Economics
Welcome to our first issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies. The interviewee is Mihail Arandarenko, a leading researcher on...
Protection of workers
Non-standard forms of employment: assets or liabilities?
Temporary employment, part-time work, temporary agency work, fixed term contracts, disguised employment: non-standard forms of employment can help enterprises adjust quickly to market dynamics and tackle labour shortages. However, when misused to...
International Training Centre of the ILO
New challenges for TVET and skills development - what do you want to learn today?
The importance of learning new skills has never been as evident as in the last year. Almost overnight, all of the global workforce had to admit they faced challenges with their digital skills. We had to switch to new ways of managing work and doing...
ILO support to Employers' organizations during the pandemic
North Macedonia extends wage support to enterprises as Covid-19 pandemic enters the third wave
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...
Towards a comprehensive and resilient social security system
Social security and COVID-19: Which measures were effective in protecting workers?
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...
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
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...
Lifelong learning
Why Trade Unions should act on Skills Development – and how?
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...