Data from the Employment Agency reveal that there are now fewer unemployed in the country than before the pandemic. In June, when the latest data is available, a total of 165.518 unemployed registered with the Employment Agency (AVRSM). Before the pandemic, in February 2020, there were 191.939 citizens on the list of the Agency, which means that in June of this year we have as many as 26.417 fewer registered unemployed citizens. At the same time, just since the beginning of the year, for the first 6 months, the number of unemployed decreased by about 10.000 citizens.

The Employment Agency informs that more than 16.000 people who lost their jobs during the pandemic have found work again.

"As of 31.12.2021, 16.073 unemployed persons were registered on the basis of inflow from employment for whom the termination or deregistration from mandatory social insurance was registered in the period after 11.03.2020, i.e. during the period of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus ", it is written in the report of AVRSM.

But, as can be seen from the report as of June 30.06.2022, 1.000, of those who found work, about XNUMX workers had their employment terminated, voluntarily or forcibly.
The State Audit Office, on the other hand, in the report on the implementation of the covid measures, indicated that 17.000 people lost their jobs during the pandemic.

In the meantime, appeals are coming from all sides from employers that there is no quality workforce and that those who apply to the advertisements leave their jobs in a short time. According to Krsto Blazhevski, president of the Hotel and Tourism Association of Macedonia, high school students are employed seasonally in hotels and restaurants. In the textile industry, contracts with foreign companies for sole production are rejected because there is no one to sew.

The problem of shortage of workers exists in all countries, and while we hope to fill it with workers from the region with the facilitations that the Open Balkans initiative should bring, Serbia also hopes to take qualified workers from us. Serbian media reports that over 30.000 craftsmen, doctors, nurses and technicians from Macedonia and Albania will be looking for work in Serbia from September without any additional documents, work visas and special permits and that this will be made possible thanks to the "Open Balkans" initiative and the opening in the single labor market.

Today, according to the data of the Employment Agency, there were 8.218 vacancies in the country, of which 1.651 were in the manufacturing industry, 1.440 in administrative and service activities and 1.199 in trade.