Sarajevo/Online  – Analytical Report “Impact Assessment of the Active Labour Market Measures in North Macedonia” evaluating five Active Labour Market Measures (ALMMs) in this economy, was presented to the employees of Public Employment Service (PES) of North Macedonia, at the online event organized by the Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2 Project (ESAP 2) of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in cooperation with its partners from PES and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.  

Mladen Frckovski, Head of the Labour Market Unit, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and Goran Petkovski, Head of Unit, Employment Service Agency, North Macedonia welcomed participants on behalf of the ESAP 2 partnering institutions, emphasizing the importance of regular evaluation of active labour market measures and how such evaluations can help inform future measures and operational plan(s).    

Frckovski stressed importance of effectiveness of active labour market measures in order to ensure responsible, cost-effective use of public funds. 

Petkovski thanked ESAP 2 project for this technical assistance and the Report with its findings, as well as the opportunity to share the Report’s findings with PES practitioners, highlighting that the Report clearly indicated which measures were effective, and provided analytical inputs to future planning.

Amira Ramhorst, Team Leader of the RCC ESAP 2 project thanked the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Employment Service Agency of North Macedonia for partnership in preparing this Report, and also for excellent partnership in all ESAP project activities.  Ramhorst thanked participants for their great interest in the results of this evaluation, adding that ESAP 2 project team was glad for being able to timely respond to this request for technical assistance.  

Ramhorst also shared information about ESAP’s activities planned for 2022 which focus on PES and employment policies in the Western Balkans.

“We hope that this report and its findings can be valuable input to our partners in their planning of future active labour market measures and policies, leading to more better employment outcomes for citizens in North Macedonia”.

The author of the Report, expert prof. Dimitar Nikoloski, while presenting the report explained that the analysis was done on a representative sample of a total of 2,230 persons in North Macedonia  and included respondents that took part in active measures but also those who did not take part in measures, enabling comparison with control groups. The evaluation included the following Active Labour Market Measures (ALMMs): training for drivers; training for known employer; training for advanced IT skills; training for in-demand occupations, wage subsidy programme. According to prof. Nikoloski, regular evaluation of ALMMs ensures effectiveness by showing what works in practice and what doesn’t.

The Report was commissioned by the RCC ESAP 2 project upon request for technical assistance by partners from North Macedonia to analyze the effectiveness of the active labour market measures and assist with the design of future employment measures. The evaluation focused on the impact of select active labour market measures and programmes that the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, North Macedonia has implemented over a period time, also providing recommendations, including an integrated and complementary approach with other measures and social policies in order to ensure most efficient and effective results. 

The online presentations gathered around 40 representatives of PES North Macedonia, who actively took part in the discussion and presented feedback and practical exchange from the field on performance of the active labour market measures.

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ESAP 2 project provides technical assistance to support partners’ processes related to preparation, monitoring and implementation of employment, labour market and social affairs strategies, action plans and/or measures, as well as other priority areas under the mandate of Ministries of Labour and Public Employment Services, who are the beneficiaries of this assistance.