Minoski: Common labor market is preparation for joining the EU, most beneficial for Serbian economy

The Protocol on Free Access to the Labor Market signed by Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia within the Open Balkan Initiative is a kind of preparation for accession to the European Union, or to the European market where competitiveness will be even more pronounced, Kiril Minoski, former Finance Minister of Macedonia and consultant to the World Bank, says and emphasizes that competition is a healthy thing and should be adapted to.

The initiative for a free labor market is good because it implies freedom of movement for the workforce, so access to labor from the region, from Albania and Serbia to North Macedonia, and vice versa, will be possible, Minoski assesses for Kosovo Online.

"Above all, through the prism of labor mobility, it increases opportunities, considering that now the workforce enters and exits the market with 12 million people, where competitiveness is higher and so are the opportunities. However, on the other hand, there are certain risks for companies in Macedonia considering the level of wages and the fact that, compared to the Albanian and Macedonian economies in the region, we have the Serbian economy, which is significantly stronger and can provide the highest wages for the workforce and benefit the most from this process," our interlocutor states.

According to him, the contract is open to all profiles of the workforce, and labor movement is determined by supply and demand. He warns that all countries in the region have a similar shortage of workers due to the fact that the majority of the population tends to emigrate to EU countries, which provide higher wages and a higher standard of work.

"We have a shortage of highly qualified staff, such as medical staff, for example, doctors, as well as people from the IT industry. The shortage of electrical and mechanical engineers is growing, the countries in the region feel this shortage, and there are numerous initiatives to encourage both domestic and foreign investments. There is a chronic shortage of labor in hospitality, people from various service sectors (cleaning, maintenance, security), salespeople, electricians, construction workers. These are segments faced by all countries in the region that are part of the Open Balkan agreement," Minoski says, adding that this agreement can stimulate population mobility in border areas.

He believes that the Serbian economy will benefit the most from the common labor market because it is the most competitive.

"However, that doesn't mean that we as a country won't benefit. It all depends generally on the ability of our administration to initiate various initiatives using the advantages of this twelve-million-strong market, but also on the adaptability of companies," our interlocutor assesses.

Minoski reminds that most signatory countries of this agreement are obliged to make appropriate changes to their legislative regulations to enable unhindered labor movement, but also to provide adequate IT infrastructure that will ensure electronic application and electronic issuance of permits, which will be necessary for the free movement of labor in the region.