Record 1.1 billion MKD for the new employment plan in 2019

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Kocho Angjushev, the Employment Service Agency of the Republic of Macedonia and other stakeholders started the preparation of the new Operational Plan for active measures and programs for employment and services on the labor market for 2019. Teams composed of representatives of government institutions, employment centers, economic chambers, UNDP, donors and the Fund for Innovation and Technological Development, this weekend in Veles they set the basics and guidance’s in which course they will be designed, upgraded and modernized the new set of measures for reducing the unemployment and increasing the employability.

The Minister of Labor and Social Policy Mila Carovska said that the future Operational Plan is the most comprehensive one so far and it is expected to be adopted by the end of the year.

“Next year a special emphasis will be placed on additional education, pre-qualification and qualification of the working age population for more efficient inclusion in the labor market. The self-employment and the start-ups that have yielded excellent results in the past years remain part of the Operational Plan. Unemployed people who have innovative business ideas will also receive support from the Fund for Innovation and Technological Development in the area of creating a successful business plan and further financial support,” said Minister Carovska.

The Director of the Employment Agency Biljana Jovanovska says that the measures from the new Operational Plan will correspond to the real needs of the labor market.

“The Employment Service Agency is the main pillar in the field of implementation of the Operational Plan for active programs and measures for employment. During the daily communication with the unemployed and employers who use the programs and measures for employment, we noticed the main needs and recommendations for the new Operational Plan, which will be a priority in the creation and redesign of the concrete measures and programs,” said Jovanovska. The UNDP says that the focus in 2019 will be on vulnerable categories of citizens who are unemployed.

“The United Nations Development Program is a long-standing partner of national institutions in employment programs and increased employability, with special emphasis on vulnerable categories and their activation and more successful inclusion in the labor market.” said Narine Sahakyan Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in the country.

The Operational Plan for 2019 is planned to allocate 1.1 billion MKD, which is twice as much as in 2016. This year, 985, 5 million denars were allocated for active measures, and the realization of these amounts is over 90%.