North Macedonia
Overview of national employment policies
- Has national employment policy
- Yes
- Adoption of national employment policies
- 1ST revision in 2011; 2ND revision in 2015; 3RD revision in 2021
- Is the NEP under revision?
- No
Dialogue and stakeholders in the formulation process
- National
- Ministry in charge of economy/planning/finance
- Yes
- Ministry in charge of employment
- Yes
- Sectoral ministries
- Yes
- Trade unions
- Yes
- children
- -
- Employers’ organisations
- Yes
- ILO
- Yes
- Regional
- No
- Local
- No
- N.A.
- -
Coordinating actor in formulating the employment policy
- Ministry in charge of employment/labour
- Yes
- Ministry in charge of economy/finance/planning
- -
- Sectoral ministry
- -
- Other
- -
- N.A.
- -
Additional information:
Ministry of Labour and Social PolicyEmployment policy goals
- Economic growth
- -
- Decent work
- Yes
- Employment as central to development strategy
- -
- Employment creation /promotion
- Yes
- Ensure equal opportunities / prevent discrimination in employment
- -
- Freely chosen employment
- -
- Full employment
- -
- Poverty reduction
- -
- Productive employment
- -
- Protection of workers' rights
- -
- Reduce unemployment
- -
- Reduce underemployment
- -
- Social inclusion
- -
- Environment/green jobs
- -
- Other
- -
- N.A.
- -
Additional information:
The overarching goal of the National Employment Strategy 2027 (NES) is to promote more and better jobs for all.Strategic objectives
- Strategic objectives
- 1. Improve the quality of education and training outcomes for all.
2. Enhance the role of economic and enterprise development policies in generating decent jobs.
3. Strengthen the inclusiveness of labour market policies.
Employment targets
- Employment opportunities
- Yes
- Adequate earnings and productive work
- Yes
- Decent hours
- -
- Work that should be abolished
- -
- Equal opportunity and treatment in employment
- -
- Social security
- -
- Social dialogue - Workers' and employers' representation
- -
- Other
- Yes
Additional information:
- Employment-to-population ratio (15-64) from 44.7 % (2019) to at least 60 % (2027). - Informal employment % of total employment : from 15.2% (2019) to 10% (2027). - Share of long-term unemployment over total unemployment : from 71.8% (2019) to less than 65 % (2027) - Youth unemployment rate (15-24) : from 37.7% (2019) to at most 27% (2027) and for the cohort 15-29 : from 30.8% to 23%. - Share of young NEETs (15-29) : from 24.5% (2019) to lower than 20% (2027). - Share of temporary work over total employment : stabilized at 16% for adults by 2027 (16.7% in 2019) and from 35.1% for young (15-24) workers to 25% (2027). - Gender employment gap : from the 19.7 percentage points (2019) to lower than 15 percentage points(2027). - Share of low-paid workers : from just over 18% (2019) to 15% (2027). - Share of people at-risk of poverty and social exclusion : from roughly 22% (2019) to 18% (2027). - Increase to 30 per cent of the share of adults (25-64) in training. - Vertical skills mismatch for individuals aged 15 to 64 : from 30% (2019) to 25% (2027). - By 2026, the average PISA score for North Macedonian students increases by at least ten points (to 410) from an average of of 400 points in 2018. - All workers (20-39) with ISCED level 3-4 to complete a VET post-secondary, non-tertiary course : from 1.2% (2019) to at least 5 % (2027). - Participation rate of adults (25-64) in training: from 12.7% (2016) to 16% (2027). - Share of persons (16-74) with digital skills : from 32% (2019) to 45 % (2027). - Share of the working age population with medium and high skills : from 69% (2019) to over 75% (2027). - Tax wedge for workers at the low end of the salary scale : to decrease by at least 10 percentage points in 2027 (from 46.3% in 2019). - Spending on education : from 3.7% of GDP (2018) to 4.2% of GDP annually (2027). - Share of funding allocated to early childhood education : from 0.29% of GDP (2018) to 0.6 % of GDP ( 2027). - Share of 4 years old enrolled in childhood education : from 39 % (2018) to at least 50% (2027). - Rate of completion at university level : from 45% (2019) to 55 per cent (2027). - The unemployment rate of university graduates aged 30-34 declines to less than 10 per cent. - Improvement of the ranking of the Republic of North Macedonia in the competitiveness index by 2027 : ranked 82nd out of 141 countries in the Global Competitiveness Index ((World Economic Forum) in 2019. - National investment in active labour market policies (ALMPs) : from 0.17% of GDP (2019) to 0.4 % of GDP (2027). - In 2019, the ESA staff-to-unemployed ratio was 1: 226, to be halved by 2027. - Percentage of registered unemployed participating to ALMPs : from 6.2% (2019) to 18 % (2027). - By 2027 the number of inspections will have increased by 30 per cent (in 2019, the State Labour Inspectorate carried out over 14,000 inspections). - In 2027, the Youth Guarantee will provide an offer within four months to at least 40 per cent of total youth registering on an annual basis (from 35% in 2019).Action plan for implementation
- National action plan
- Yes
- Subnational action plan
- -
Coordination framework
- NEP coordination framework?
- No
Additional information:
The national employment strategy is coordinated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Economic and Social Council’s tripartite group on employment.Monitoring indicators
- Employment opportunities
- -
- Adequate earnings and productive work
- -
- Decent hours
- -
- Work that should be abolished
- -
- Equal opportunity and treatment in employment
- -
- Social security
- -
- Social dialogue - Workers' and employers' representation
- -
- Other
- -
Target groups
- Youth
- Yes
- Women
- Yes
- Informal workers
- Yes
- Rural workers
- -
- Older persons
- Yes
- People with disabilities
- Yes
- Migrants workers
- Yes
- Other
- Yes
- N.A.
- -
- No target group
- -
Additional information:
Other: adults; people at risk of poverty and social exclusion; pupils and students; NEETs; low-skilled individuals; long-term unemployed; national minorities; refugees and asylum seekers; social assistance beneficiaries; workers at the lower end of the salary scale; disengaged young people; women re-entering the labour market.