Carovska: Implemented effective mechanisms to reduce number of unemployed young people


2018 Operational Employment Plan and pilot programme Youth Guarantee are being successfully implemented. This shows that we have created effective mechanisms to reduce unemployment in Macedonia and most likely in the next period will yield positive results for unemployed young people, Minister of Labour and Social Policy Mila Carovska told Sunday’s press briefing.

MKD 987 million have been earmarked for employment measures, which represents increase by double compared to 2016 when it amounted MKD 435 million. Measures for crafts training, personal assistants, training in financial and banking sector, training in IT skills, foreign languages training are mostly realized.

“By end of last week, we have almost hundred percent realizations in ten of the measures. So far, the employment measures included 4.023 people from the planned 6.410 per year, which shows the effectiveness in the implementation of the measures,” Carovska underlined.

In regard to the Youth Guarantee programme, which is being implemented for five months in Skopje, Strumica and Gostivar, Carovska said that it exceeded their expectations and it would have great effect on unemployment reduction among young people. She underlined that although Macedonia is still not EU member state, it is implementing this programme.

“1,979 young people to up to 29 years old were included in the programme in five months. Of this, 586 have already been employed, 705 have been involved in training or practice and 952 have been included in employment mediation services. This percentage of realization is a basis to analyze the percentage of the funds that will be allocated next year and whether the programme will be extended at national level,” Carovska said.

Employment Service Agency Director Biljana Jovanovska said that measures and programmes of the annual Operational Plan are divided into two groups – one that leads to direct employment and other that increase employability of unemployed people.

The interest in the Operational Employment Plan was large, it is shown by large number of applications that are submitted to the Employment Service Agency through employment centres across the entire territory. The self-employment programme raised greatest interest including 1.176 people whereat 2.184 unemployed people applied. Of them 1.521 people successfully completed the training for entrepreneurship development and business plan development, Jovanovska said adding that 361 business plans have already been selected and to be registered as legal entities.

A new analysis for labour market needs is being prepared, which will be released by year-end and will be a direction for the policies for the next year.