Skopje, 7 October 2024 (MIA) - According to the State Statistical Office as much as 52,3 percent of the population is not utilized in the labor market, State Secretary at the Minister of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, Fatmir Sadriu said on Monday at the closing event of the three-year IPA project "Labour Market Activation of Vulnerable Groups" organized by the Employment Service Agency.

Of the total 103,000 registered unemployed persons at the Employment Service Agency, as many as 35,000 are young people between the ages of 20 and 29, said Sadriu.

"The figures coming out of the State Statistical Office are concerning - 52,3 percent of our population are not active seekers, that is, are not utilized in the labor market. In 2023, out of 103,000 unemployed persons registered at the Employment Service Agency of the Republic of North Macedonia, 35,000 were young people aged 20-29. As a Ministry in cooperation with the Employment Agency and now the Ministry of Economy and Labor, we are working on the development of a new operational plan which will ensure these vulnerable categories, recipients of guaranteed minimal assistance and other vulnerable categories, will be included in the labor market," Sadriu stressed.

Minister of Economy and Labor, Besar Durmishi, said that the Employment Support Program through trainings is the key for many people's futures.

"The program includes five measures and directly improves the skills and employment of our citizens. Completed trainings for in-demand jobs on the labor market means that today we have more people ready to join the workforce and respond to the needs of the market. These trainings were not just a way of acquiring skills, they also open doors for those unemployed to gain opportunities and achieve professional development. Workplace training prepares individuals for real workplace challenges and obliging employers to employ at least 50 percent of the trained individuals, we ensure that those trainings will lead to real employment opportunities. Unemployed people have a chance to enter the workforce with direct financial support through subsidized employment," Durmishi explained. 

Director of the Secondary School of Economics and Law "Vasil Antevski-Dren” Tanja Jovanovska, stated that the program the school has been using in the past two years is financed by the European Union and directly supports vulnerable categories of students who have not finalized their education.

"The program, which is financed by EU in coordination with the Employment Agency, means direct support for vulnerable categories of students, that is, those who have not finalized their education, excluding part-time students, and part-time students in their third and fourth year," Jovanovska noted.

The program, she added, resulted in maximum efficiency for those lacking financial opportunities for finalizing their education.

"This program resulted in maximum efficiency, because students lacking financial opportunities, that is, funds for make-up exams and finalizing their education, means financial support and motivation to use these opportunities and finish their education and users of the services the Employment Agency provides, which is the labor market," Jovanovska said.ssh/ad/ 

Photo: Ministry of Economy and Labor/MIA