Since 1991, the Republic of Macedonia has been going through a difficult period of transition from a command to a market economy. This process has resulted in high unemployment rates and increasing levels of poverty. Despite significant progress in macroeconomic stabilization and in the process of privatization, job creation has been limited.
Unemployment in Macedonia is one of the gravest and most difficult economic, social and political problems. In accordance to the data of the State Statistical Office, Macedonia's unemployment rate decreased to 22.9% in the first quarter of 2017 from 24.5% in the same period of the previous year. Although high rates of unemployment exist in the whole country, there are strong regional differences. The lower rates of unemployment are evident in the south and east regions, where there are mainly agriculture and tourism activities, while the regions with concentrations of industrial activities have higher rate of unemployment. Of big concern is the fact that there is a high unemployment rate among youth 15-24 years old - 44.4% in the first quarter of 2017. There is no disparity between the unemployment rate between male (23.2%) and female (22.5%).
Based on the above, the main challenges – critical issues to be addressed include:
- high youth unemployment rate (44%, up to age of 24)
- even higher unemployment rate of the marginalized groups of citizens
- ineffective active labour market measures
- lack of soft skills
- lack of entrepreneurial skills
- high rates of long-term unemployment
- lack of programmes for advancement of the employment skills
In response to these challenges, KMOP can present a solid background in designing and implementing active employment measures, including: labour force needs’ assessments to ensure the unemployed are equipped with the skills needed to meet real labour market opportunities; development of basic and technical skills; vocational education and training; counselling and life skills building; business support services and promotion of social economy and entrepreneurship. KMOP’s experience and expertise is even more concrete when it comes to tailor programmes aiming at promoting the (re)integration of socially vulnerable groups to the labour market, not only in Greece, but also abroad.
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