Gender equality

The NSG reports that gender mainstreaming has been a part of North Macedonian policymaking since 2018. All ministries in the North Macedonian government are required to incorporate the concept of gender equality into their three-year strategic plans and objectives. Furthermore, all civil servants engaged in strategic planning are trained both to take gender issues into account and to create gender-sensitive indictors for all programmes run by their ministries. The NSG notes that gender equality has gained political support and represents a key government priority.[1] However, UN Women found that only 39.4% of the indicators needed to track the SDGs from a gender perspective were available. Although some progress has been made to increase female representation in parliament and the national government, only two mayors out of 81 are female. Furthermore, female representation in economic decision-making is very limited, with only 14% of management roles being held by women, a figure that is even lower in the higher echelons of management.[2]

North Macedonia’s score in the gender equality index was 64.5 out of 100 in 2022, below the EU average of 68 but a 2.5-point increase since 2019. The North Macedonian employment gap was 18.3 percentage points, and the working life of the average North Macedonian women was 10 years shorter than that of the average man, with negative implications for contribution-based social rights such as pensions and unemployment insurance. The gender earnings gap in North Macedonia stands at 16 percentage points according to the latest data.[3] However, the adjusted wage gap, which takes into account the differences in characteristics between working men and women, is higher: North Macedonian working women are on average better educated than working men, as a result of the low female participation rate in the labour force. Other issues identified by the NSG include , women’s unpaid work in the agricultural sector, the inactivity of women who are reliant on remittances from male relatives abroad, and the high levels of long-term female unemployment.[4] The average North Macedonian woman spends 15.4% of her time on unpaid care and household work, compared to 5.1% for the average man.

In 2022, North Macedonia conducted its first national survey on gender-based violence. The survey found that over half of all North Macedonian women (54%) have experienced some sort of violence at some point in their lives. Intimate partners are the most likely perpetrators of this violence, and 4.2% of women reported experiencing intimate-partner violence over the past 12 months. Some 30% of North Macedonian women have experienced sexual harassment at least once in their life and 10% in the past 12 months. Gender-based violence and traditional gender norms are still highly normalised in North Macedonian society, which is a matter of concern. Around a third of the women surveyed endorsed the ideas – among others – that a husband must show dominance over his wife and that victims of sexual violence often exaggerate or make up claims. More positively, legislation was passed in 2022 and 2023 to criminalise sexual harassment, including online sexual harassment and online stalking.[5]

Youth unemployment

Despite improvements in recent years, youth unemployment and inactivity rates remain stubbornly high in North Macedonia. There is a large gap in the employment rates of young people (34.7%) and the rest of the population (47.3%). There is also a large gap between the employment rates of young men (45.6%) and young women (23.3%).[6] Regional differences are also stark. Youth unemployment in rural areas is 9.8 percentage points higher than in urban areas.[7] Finally, there is an employment gap between young people of different educational levels. Those with a high level of education have an employment rate of 49.4%, and those with a medium level have a rate of 30.6%. But only 4.7% of young people with a low level of education are employed.[8]

Youth employment is concentrated in temporary, part-time and precarious positions. More than a third of employed North Macedonian young people (34%) have temporary jobs. The NSG notes that the massive emigration of young people from the country is both a cause and a consequence of high youth unemployment.

The NSG reports that the government has put in place some measures to tackle the issue. The Employment Strategy 2021-2027 was recently adopted, as was the Strategy for the Formalisation of the Informal Economy.[9] Furthermore, 19,000 young people, including 969 Roma, took part in the EU’s Youth Guarantee, after it was extended to the Western Balkans including North Macedonia, and 41% of the participants secured employment or training possibilities.[10]

Inclusion of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and minorities

The NSG reports that the North Macedonian asylum process is still not in compliance with the EU acquis. Asylum seekers in North Macedonia face arbitrary detention, including the illegal detention of minors. Furthermore, the asylum processing system is ineffective and astonishingly slow. Although 100 claims for asylum were lodged in 2021, only 25 interviews of asylum seekers took place that year. No one has been awarded refugee status in North Macedonia since 2016.[11]

National minorities in North Macedonia include Albanians, Turks, Roma and Serbs. Official efforts to promote the protection and integration of minorities stem from the “One Society for All and Interculturalism” strategy. The Agency for the Protection of Non-Majority Communities began operations in 2021 under the auspices of the Ministry of the Political System and Inter-Community Relations. The Agency funds CSO initiatives aimed at advancing and defending the rights of national minorities. Generally, most ethnic minorities except Albanians are underrepresented in the political system and civil service. Albanians, being the largest minority, are well represented all the way up to ministerial level.[12]

A new Roma Inclusion Strategy was adopted for the period 2022-2030, which addresses issues such as discrimination, education, employment, social care, healthcare, housing, civic registration and culture. However, the NSG noted that participation, empowerment and capacity building were not mentioned in the strategy. The Action Plan for the defence, advancement and fulfilment of the human rights of Roma women and girls was adopted for the period 2022-2024.[13] The NSG urged that action plans be written and adopted for other crucial areas of Roma rights. Although the government is taking Roma rights more seriously, the NSG pointed out that little is being done to address issues such as Roma children’s high school-dropout rates or widespread school segregation.

[1] Government of North Macedonia (2022), Strategy on Gender Equality 2022-2027: https://mtsp.gov.mk/content/pdf/2022/strategija_/%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0_%D0%B7%D0%B0_%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82_2022_2027.pdf

[2] Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (2023), Gender Equality Index for North Macedonia 2022: https://www.stat.gov.mk/publikacii/2023/Gender-Index-2022_EN-web.pdf

[3] Ibid

[4] ILO (2015), The gender and motherhood wage gap in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: An econometric analysis: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---europe/---ro-geneva/---sro-budapest/documents/publication/wcms_447699.pdf

[5] Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (2023), Gender Equality Index for North Macedonia 2022: https://www.stat.gov.mk/publikacii/2023/Gender-Index-2022_EN-web.pdf

[6] State Statistical Office (2023), Employment rate of the population aged 15 years and over by gender and age, annual: https://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__PazarNaTrud__StapkiDrugiIndikatori/087_PazTrud_Mk_StapVrab_ml.px/table/tableViewLayout2/

[7] State Statistical Office (2023), Activity rates of the population aged 15 years and over by gender and age, rural, by year: ﷟HYPERLINK "https://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__PazarNaTrud__StapkiDrugiIndikatori/064_Stapki_Pol_Vozrast15_urban_ml.px/table/tableViewLayout2/"https://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__PazarNaTrud__StapkiDrugiIndikatori/064_Stapki_Pol_Vozrast15_urban_ml.px/table/tableViewLayout2/ and  https://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__PazarNaTrud__StapkiDrugiIndikatori/065_StapkiAktiv_Pol_Vozr_Rural_ml.px/table/tableViewLayout2/

[8] State Statistical Office (2022), Employment rate, by highest level of education attained, aged 25 to 64 years, by years: https://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__PazarNaTrud__StapkiDrugiIndikatori/095_PazTrud_Mk_NivoObr_ml.px/table/tableViewLayout2/

[9] Government of the Republic of North Macedonia (2017), Programme for Employment and Social Policy Reforms 2020: https://www.mtsp.gov.mk/content/word/esrp_dokumenti/ESRP%20Macedonia%20-%20final%20(ENG).pdf

[10] Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, (2019). Operational Plan for Active Programmes and Measures for Employment and Services in the Labor Market 2019: https://av.gov.mk/content/%D0%9E%D0%9F/OP_2021_ANG_.pdf

[11] Macedonian Association of Young Lawyers (2021), Situation of asylum in North Macedonia: https://myla.org.mk/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Sostojbata-so-azilot-vo-RSM-2021-1.pdf

[12] Westminster Foundation for Democracy (2022), Where we work - North Macedonia: https://www.wfd.org/where-we-work/north-macedonia

[13] Open Society Foundation Macedonia (2022), Shadow report from monitoring work and effects of the sector working group on roma integration in the period January – December 2021: https://dijalogkoneu.mk/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/06/INTEGRACIJA-NA-ROMI-2021-1.pdf

Overall, the NSG expressed severe concerns with the state of workers’ rights in North Macedonia. The NSG notes significant gaps between Macedonian labour law and the EU acquis. This is especially the case in areas such as redress for violations relating to the non-payment of salaries and the right to strike, over which the Law on Labour Relations is ambiguous and leaves room for interpretation. The NSG also reports that labour law enforcement in North Macedonia is weak and ineffective. Violations such as the non-payment of overtime, the imposition of night shifts and the non-granting of annual leave are the most common infractions.[1]

North Macedonian trade unions are unable to address these issues due to their structural weaknesses, a result of the ambiguous role assigned to them under the Labour Law. The NSG notes that unions are simply not given the opportunity, resources or instruments to carry out their required function. For example, North Macedonian law does not specify that one of their tasks is to protecting workers’ rights, an ambiguity which puts them at a disadvantage vis-à-vis employers. Because of this, employers are effectively able to prevent workers from unionising and can justify firing workers trying to call a strike by pointing to procedural mistakes in the organisation of the strike. The NSG highlights that these problems are especially bad in the Technological Industrial Development Zone Bunardzik, a special economic zone near Skopje airport, and in the textile industry.[2] The International Trade Union Confederation has raised concerns about the state of workers’ rights in North Macedonia. Research as part of its Global Rights Index suggests that rights violations are systematic and worsening. Notable incidents include the unjustified disruption of trade union demonstrations, persistent union busting and harassment of unionists.[3]

[1] Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia (2019), Analysis of workers' rights standards and their application in the Republic of North Macedonia: https://mhc.org.mk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/En-Helsinki-2019.pdf

[2] Saveski, Zdravko; Apasiev, Dimitar; Kovachevski, Aleksandar; Vasilev, Kire (2010), Devaluation of Labour - Analysis of labour legislation in the transition period: https://www.academia.edu/2605632/%D0%9E%D0%91%D0%95%D0%97%D0%92%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%94%D0%9D%D0%A3%D0%92%D0%90%D0%8A%D0%95_%D0%9D%D0%90_%D0%A2%D0%A0%D0%A3%D0%94%D0%9E%D0%A2_%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D1%82%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE_%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D0%B2%D0%BE_%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%82_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0

[3] ITUC (2023), Global Rights Index 2023 - North Macedonia: https://www.globalrightsindex.org/en/2023/countries/mkd

Poverty eradication

North Macedonia has made significant steps in reducing poverty in recent years and has been recognised by the UN Development Programme as a world leader in poverty eradication.[1] The rate of extreme poverty declined from 10% in 2009 to 3.4% in 2018, and that of general poverty declined from 35% in 2009 to 17% in 2021. Though North Macedonia’s poverty rate is the second lowest in the Western Balkans, it remains above the EU average.[2] The reduction in child poverty, while significant, has been less marked, declining from 32.4% in 2005 to 27.8% in 2019.[3] Over 40% of households at risk of poverty have three or more children. However, many households still face a significant risk of poverty, especially in rural and northern areas, among ethnic minorities, and among people with lower levels of education. Emigration and the still high rate of informality also compound the problem.

Although social protection in North Macedonia only covers half the population, and spending on social protection is below the regional average, the government has been implementing a comprehensive social protection reform, including the creation of a programme for guaranteed minimum assistance. The reform aims to improve the coverage, targeting and adequacy of social protection. So far, the number of people receiving Guaranteed Minimum Assistance (GMA) has increased by 45%, while the number of beneficiaries of various forms of support for children, such as child allowances and other transfers, has increased by 48%. 3,300 GMA recipients took part in labour market activation schemes, and over 28,000 primary and secondary school pupils have made use of their entitlement to receive the educational support payment. Improvements in the administration of social protection have included the creation of an electronic information exchange for social protection and employment services. However, the system still lacks a fully functional monitoring and evaluation system and an appropriately centralised IT system. The 2018-2027 National Deinstitutionalisation Programme continues to be implemented, with a growth in providers of licensed community-based social services (such as home care, personal assistance and respite care).[4]

[1] United Nations Development Programme and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. (2020), Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2020 Charting pathways out of multidimensional poverty: Achieving the SDGs: https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/2020mpireportenpdf.pdf

[2] European Commission (2019), ESPN Thematic Report on Financing social protection, North Macedonia: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjVpeOO_tmBAxXN1gIHHZHVDZAQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fec.europa.eu%2Fsocial%2FBlobServlet%3FdocId%3D21847%26langId%3Den&usg=AOvVaw0lP5CCumeMHUF9fdifmqu_&opi=89978449

[3] UNICEF (2021), Multidimensional Child Poverty in Montenegro – Understanding the complex realities of children in poverty using a mixed-method approach: https://www.unicef.org/northmacedonia/media/8931/file/Multidimensional%20child%20poverty%20in%20North%20Macedonia%20(ENG).pdf

[4] European Commission (2020), Economic Reform Programme of North Macedonia (2020-2022) - Commission Assessment: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-7470-2020-INIT/en/pdf

The NSG reports severe deficiencies with social dialogue in North Macedonia. Social partners are rarely consulted by the government, and the tripartite discussions that do occur are ineffective due to the government’s power over the social partners. At the bipartite level, the NSG notes that it is often impossible to sign branch agreements due to the lack of an employers’ organisation. When agreements are signed, they are not disseminated, so workers are often not aware of their contents. Even when workers are aware of them, contracts are frequently ignored. Because of the unions’ structural weaknesses as a social partner, which stem from the ambiguity and lack of clarity of the Labour Law, they are rarely trusted by workers to defend their rights.[1]

The NSG notes that the situation with civil dialogue is much better. The Strategy of Collaboration with and Growth of Civil Society 2022-2024 has improved the environment for CSOs. The strategy has revamped the legal and institutional framework under which CSOs operate and has put in place an adequate funding system, which includes state funds. CSOs have consistently been involved in public policymaking, although the NSG remarks that consultations could be more inclusive and transparent. For this reason, CSO representatives have stopped attending the Council for Cooperation between Government and Civil Society, and the budget for this collaboration was recently cut.[2] Finally, despite the progress in including CSOs in decision-making, the NSG raised concerns that civic life is generally declining in North Macedonia, mostly due to the aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic and a lack of sustainable funding sources. Only 20% of North Macedonians report engaging in civic activities, 10% lower than in 2016.[3] CIVICUS’ monitor has found that civic space in North Macedonia has narrowed.[4]

[1] CRPM (2021), Industrial Relations in Macedonia: Challenges Ahead of Economic Recovery:  http://www.crpm.org.mk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Studija-V00-05-EN-PRINT.pdf

[2] Macedonian Center for International Cooperation and Balkan Civil Society Development Network (2023), Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development Country Brief for North Macedonia 2022: https://rcgo.mk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/north-macedonia-mm-brief-2022.pdf

[3] Open Society Foundation – Macedonia (2021), Civic Engagement in the Republic of North Macedonia, with Special Overview on the COVID-19 Pandemic: https://dijalogkoneu.mk/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/10/Report-from-the-general-population-and-civil-society-surveys.pdf

[4] https://monitor.civicus.org/country/macedonia/

The NSG states that North Macedonia is a leader in the green transition in the Western Balkans, as the first country in the region to transmit its National Energy and Climate Plan to the Energy Community. The country also published its Energy Development Strategy 2040 and revised its Nationally Determined Contribution, aiming to cut GHG emissions 30% by 2030. The government of North Macedonia is gradually bringing its legislation on energy efficiency in line with the EU acquis and has promoted renewable energy generation through a number of incentives and household subsidies. It also participates in the Western Balkans Green Agenda.[1] However, the country’s performance on renewable energy generation has generally been lacklustre. It missed its 2020 target to generate 23% of its energy from renewable sources by 3.8 percentage points. Although it has made some progress in phasing out coal, North Macedonia has mostly replaced it with gas and oil, not renewables.[2]

However, the NSG also pointed out several remaining issues with North Macedonia’s transition to a green economy. Firstly, it stressed that the implementation of strategic documents could be strengthened and green legislation better enforced. The NSG believes that energy and climate issues are still not given the priority they merit. Furthermore, CSOs, academia and social partners are still not full participants in the development of climate policy. Another issue raised was North Macedonia’s lack of a system for measuring, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas emissions, which has hindered effective climate policymaking. More worrying, North Macedonia still maintains coal subsidies and extremely low fuel duties, especially for diesel. Finally, the NSG noted that North Macedonia still lacks key competences and skills necessary for scaling up green capacity. It drew attention to areas such as the installation, operation and maintenance of renewable energy, and green jobs’ absence from the National Classification of Occupations.[3] All these problems are evident in the difficulties in addressing North Macedonian households’ energy inefficiency, a vital issue given that households account for 36% of the country’s electricity consumption.[4] The NSG highlighted as problems a lack of green knowledge among construction companies and professionals, a lack of skills in installing energy-saving devices and the difficulty of acquiring such devices. It also pointed to households’ reluctance to engage in energy-saving renovations and policymakers’ lack of sufficient action to scale up the limited subsidies made available to households for energy-efficiency schemes.

Finally, the NSG mentioned a series of government programmes aimed at increasing the level of green skills in North Macedonia. Firstly, there has been a series of sporadic workshops, seminars and training sessions, targeted mainly at jobless plumbers and construction workers. The TRAINEE programme trained 300 blue-collar workers in energy efficiency for buildings, 40 in renewable-energy skills and 40 in general green skills for technicians. It also trained 52 building engineers and 20 information modelling engineers.[5] The European Energy Manager Programme and the UNIDO Energy Management System Programme, which develop skills for implementing energy efficiency measures in businesses and organisations, have also been made available in North Macedonia. Finally, the World Bank is assisting North Macedonia with the creation of its Smart Specialisation Strategy, which aims to understand how to attract green investments to the country.[6]

[1]  OECD (2020), Green Growth Indicators (database): https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/data/oecd-environment-statistics/green-growth-indicators-edition-2020_726a0247-en

[2] Energy Community (2023), Country Report 2022 - North Macedonia: https://www.energy-community.org/implementation/report/North_Macedonia.html

[3] State Statistical Office (2022), National Classification of Occupations, Republic of North Macedonia: https://www.stat.gov.mk/KlasifikaciiNomenklaturi_en.aspx?id=15

[4] Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning (2017), Informative Inventory Report 1990-2015: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/3%20Macedonian%20SBUR%20National%20Inventory%20Report.pdf

[5] Economic Chamber of North Macedonia (2016), Toward market-based skills for Sustainable Energy Efficient construction: https://www.mchamber.mk/upload/trainee%20fact%20sheet.pdf

[6] European Commission (2022), Smart Specialisation in North Macedonia: https://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/north-macedonia