- Македонски
- English
A conference on the topic of Managing the Shortage of Labor in Certain Occupations in Macedonia was organized by the International Labor Organization.
The conference presented the Study prepared by the ILO on the shortage of labour in order to contribute to a better understanding of the emergence of imbalances in and shortages of labour.
The Minister of Economy and Labor, Besar Durmisi, the ILO Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Claire Haraszti, the current UN Coordinator, Rita Columbia, the National Coordinator of the ILO Emil Krstanovski, the President of the SSM, Slobodan Trendafilov, as well as representatives of employers, universities, etc., delivered their speeches.
While the Ministry of Economy and Labor is developing a systemic approach to aligning the supply and demand of labour on the domestic market in the coming period, the Confederation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (CSM) is sending a message that the labour shortage is the result of low wages and abuses by bosses from the Chamber of Commerce.
Minister Durmishi, in his introductory speech, emphasized that the study prepared by the ILO allows for an in-depth look at the problem and represents a roadmap for its solution.
– The labour shortage is a challenge that more and more countries are facing, especially in Europe, and which is not bypassing North Macedonia. While on the one hand, we are facing relatively high rates of unemployment and inactivity, on the other hand, every day more and more employers report problems with finding and retaining labour and vacant job positions are advertised. This study and the analysis of the data conducted by the International Labor Organization allow us to delve deeper into the problem and create sustainable policies. At the same time, they represent an excellent roadmap for the approach that should be applied in solving this phenomenon – emphasized Durmishi.
According to the President of the SSM Slobodan Trendafilov, the labour shortage in Macedonia is the result of low wages and abuses by the bosses of the Chamber of Commerce.
– Let’s not forget that there is a shortage of labour in Macedonia due to low wages and the abuses of the bosses from the Chamber of Commerce they have been doing for 34 years. Because of low wages, workers are leaving Macedonia for other countries and building other economies, and I think that should be the biggest defeat for these bosses. As a reminder, by being so productive, we have created huge capital for them, huge fortunes, and they stole companies in the past, kept them for themselves… If you pay them miserably, you can expect that they have money for a one-way ticket, and that is outside of Macedonia – said Trendafilov.
For him, the attempt of the previous government to import workers, whom the bosses will pay less than domestic ones, is very worrying.
“Macedonia has become a tourist agency, which brought workers from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and then from here they left for some of the countries in the European Union, where, of course, they earn better than in Macedonia,” said Trendafilov.
ILO Director-General Claire Haraszti said the study covers three main areas: tapping the unused workforce, boosting productivity through investment in education policies and better working conditions, and labour migration for selected sectors.
– We need to tap the unused workforce so that those who are not yet actively participating in the labour market but could be employed can be included. This includes women with childcare responsibilities, unemployed young people, people with disabilities and also a large number of older workers who are not sufficiently employable but could be brought back into the labour market. The second policy area to consider is to boost productivity through investment in education and skills policies and better working conditions to close these gaps. And the third area that can be part of the solution is labor migration for selected sectors, selected professions, and well-regulated and orderly migration with fair recruitment practices - stressed Haraszti.
