Youth unemployment and underemployment in North Macedonia: Coping mechanisms and strategies

Coping with youth unemployment in North Macedonia

Active

The ultimate goal of the commitment is supporting the development of evidence-based national policies and strategies to improve young people’s access to decent jobs. Research on young people’s position in the labour market in North Macedonia will be conducted. This includes an examination of the micro and macro determinants that lead to youth unemployment and underemployment. Research findings will provide evidence-based policy recommendations. Through direct contact with the national policymakers and dissemination activities, the issue of youth unemployment will be put on their agenda and will raise public awareness on the importance of mitigating negative consequences of youth employment challenges.

Entity

FInance Think - Economic Research & Policy Institute Youth organization, civil society, non-governmental, non-profit organization

Policy, advocacy and convening power

Sustainable Development Goals & targets

8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

Themes

Youth in fragile situations
Youth entrepreneurship and self-employment
Rights and Voices

Achievement At Glance

Youth underemployment in North Macedonia is the novel issue analyzed within this commitment. Its findings and recommendations may serve as a base for improving the position of young people at Macedonian labor market. Also, our research analyses the impact of economic crisis on the labor market, with reference to young people, so the results may predict the impact of the pandemic and the war conflict on their position.

Key Highlight On Guiding Principle

The aim of our research on youth underemployment is providing base and recommendations for improving policies toward creating decent jobs for youth according their characteristics and educations. On the other side, the aim of the prepared visual products and broshure is to steer awareness among young people on their rights and obligations at the workplace and/or during the employment process, as well as awareness on the current policies and measures that may ease their employment process, toward finding quality employment.

description

The Macedonian labour market improved significantly in recent years, but the unemployment rate of youth aged 15-24 remained at a very high level at 35 per cent. The objective of this commitment is twofold:

(i) to bring the issues of unemployment of youth in the policymakers' agenda in an explicit and clearly-formulated manner;

(ii) to propose specific policy actions.

In particular, the research is expected to produce evidence on the characteristics of unemployed and underemployed, on micro and macro determinants of these phenomena as well on labour market position effect for youth welfare. To provide data-driven information, data from several surveys, such as STWS, LFS and/or SILC will be used, while using econometric models will estimate the relationship between labour market position and wellbeing. As such, findings will represent a strong advocacy tool for achieving both policy objectives stated above. The action envisaged production of many visibility materials that are expected to bring knowledge and raise public awareness. Also, we will produce several policy documents that will be directly disseminated to the key national policymakers like the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Employment State Agency, etc. The findings will feed into policies in terms of designing policy measures, active programs and national strategies that will mitigate the negative consequences of unemployment and underemployment, and will create a more supportive space for decent jobs for youth.

http://www.financethink.mk
https://www.facebook.com/FinanceThink
https://www.linkedin.com/company/2881903
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/rae/article/view/16665?fbclid=IwAR3oZl9xqa0wmlcgnsrIbCiZAOAQ6j2wya3lL9wo8SKMRNw_kLz6P3rS9S4
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00128775.2020.1835491?journalCode=meee20
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ber/article/view/14659

Deliverables and links to SDG targets

Progress: 6 out of 10 knowledge sharing or advocacy tactics on youth employment carried out, including events, campaigns and media items

8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

At least 10 visual products including info-graphs, videos, and policy briefs that describe the young people’s position in the Macedonian labour market will be produced in order to raise public awareness about this concerning issue. They will be delivered through social media and Finance Think's website.

BY: Dec 2021
Progress: 1 out of 1 knowledge products on youth employment developed

8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

A brochure on workers’ rights and obligations according to the national legislation will be produced, in order to increase youth's knowledge and awareness about their rights in the labour market and at the workplace. It will be disseminated online and/or in hard copies to the final beneficiaries or workers organizations.

BY: Dec 2021
National strategies for youth employment supported in their development or operationalization in 1 country (North Macedonia)

8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

The research will provide evidence-based recommendations for improving youth's position in the labour market and creating decent jobs, that may be embedded in the national strategies and plans. They will be directly shared with the key policymakers through tet-a-tet meeting and/or online communication, as well as organizing joint events.

BY: Sep 2022

Start

01-Jan-2020

End

31-Dec-2022

Target: Only young people 15-19, 20-24, 25-29

Challenges faced in implementation

As stated above, most of our deliverables have been communicated with the beneficaries via social media, due to the inability to organize physical events and meetings due to the pandemic.