- Македонски
- English
The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) recently conducted research that further confirms the position that the wage increase in general and especially the increase in the minimum wage do not contribute to the closure of companies and do not destroy the economy, but rather create conditions for the development and opening of new companies and new jobs, contrary to the thesis and manipulations that wage growth causes the collapse of companies and job losses.
The claims that companies will close if wages are increased are completely untrue, and the data and facts from the Central Registry of Republic of Macedonia clearly confirm this and shows that:
• In 2022, when we increased the minimum wage (as a reminder, through protests and strikes) from 15,194 to 18,000 denars, there were 7,062 newly established companies, and 5,694 were deleted from the Registry or were closed.
• In 2023, with the increase in the minimum wage from 18,000 to 20,175 denars, the number of newly established companies remained at 7,062, and the deleted ones decreased to 3,372.
• In 2024, with the increase in the minimum wage from 20,175 to 22,567 denars, there were 6,627 new companies, and only 2,891 closed.
These numbers clearly prove that every increase in the minimum wage is a benefit and not a threat to the economy, therefore refute the views of the employers, government officials and certain experts who have been quite vocal in this field to prevent wage growth.
These results are one more reason that proves that the process of increasing wages shouldn’t be stopped, including increasing the minimum wage, so the research delivers another strong argument for the continued growth demanded by SSM– not only of the minimum wage, but of all other wages!
Workers’ must not live on minimum incomes and to have the lowest wages in the region, the Government is obliged to support the need for wage growth, the fair distribution of profits and to stand on the side of the dignified labour of all Macedonian workers.
