Skopje, 7 July 2023 (MIA) – The Governor of the National Bank of North Macedonia, Anita Angelovska Bezhoska, participated Friday at the “Women Leaders” round table discussion opened by the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, and organized by the Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

According to a press release from the National Bank, Governor Angelovska Bezhoska noted that greater inclusion of women in the workforce can contribute to faster and more inclusive economic growth.

“It is not necessary to only have economic growth when it comes to economic development. It is necessary to grow in a smart, sustainable and inclusive way. Human capital, both from the aspect of its quantity and quality, is key when it comes to the fulfillment of these goals. Greater inclusion of women in the workforce can contribute to faster and more inclusive economic growth, which can be as high as 30 percent in developing economies if we take into account the inclusion of additional workforce in the labor market,” said Governor Angelovska Bezhoska.

In her address, the Governor noted that gender inequality still remains one of the key global challenges, which has become even more prominent after the pandemic.

“In global terms, the pandemic led to the cutting of 54 million posts filled by women, which reduced the participation of women in the workforce to 47 percent and led to a widening of the gap in relation to men, whose participation in the workforce stands at 70 percent. In the Macedonian economy the participation of women in the workforce is around 40 percent, additionally, the women who are active in the workforce have low representation in managerial positions and are paid less than men by 20 percent,” said the Governor.

Angelovska Bezhoska stressed that there are also good examples in Macedonian society, such as the National Bank, with women holding 71 percent of the managerial positions in the institution.

“Because of a faster convergence towards the EU, and despite the current challenges, it is necessary that we don’t stray too far from solving structural issues, implementing reforms that will improve our growth potential and bring us closer to the European family,” said Angelovska Bezhoska, adding that this calls for greater inclusion of women in society, which can be achieved through a holistic approach of policymakers.

The discussion was held as part of the project “We Lead”, supported by the EU, which aims to support young professionals in the Western Balkans region. The discussion was also addressed by the Albanian Minister of State for Standards and Services, the Executive Director of the European Policy Centre in Serbia, and the Director of CEF.

Photo: National Bank