With the youth mapping report prepared by ILO, to a detailed review of the situation and the reasons why young people are not part of the labor market.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) prepared a Report on the mapping of young people who are not employed and are not part of the education or training systems, i.e. NEETs, in order to provide support in the preparation of the new “Plan for the implementation of the guarantee for youth” for the period from 2023 to 2026. The mapping enables a detailed overview of the situation of these persons, the reasons why they are not part of the labor market or the education and training systems, as well as the measures that should be taken for the effective implementation of the Youth Guarantee.

Part of the recommendations listed in this report, which should improve the performance of the Youth Guarantee, refer to the need for continuous mapping and early intervention by strengthening the opportunities for improving the skills of young people. Investing in all regions of the country to facilitate the access of people with illness or disability to the labor market and adapting measures aimed at reducing the gender gap in access to the labor market is extremely important. Special emphasis in the report is placed on the main characteristics of young people who are not employed and are not part of the education and training system, as well as the key factors due to which young people can become part of this group. Also, in partnership with civil society organizations, it is necessary to further increase the capacities of field workers, strong intersectoral cooperation, legal harmonization, as well as greater digitization of public services for their easier accessibility to young people.

The youth guarantee generally shows good results and success, especially in the direction of increasing the employability of people who were outside the labor market and the education system. However, it is important to point out that the pandemic, as well as the general situation with the current crisis, are the main challenges for the implementation of the Youth Guarantee, which can be overcome with comprehensive intersectoral cooperation. Data from the report shows that 24.2% of young people are NEETs, a percentage that is twice as high as the EU percentage of 13.7%. Also, the institutions will have to pay special attention in the coming period and create ways for greater inclusion of young women in the labor market, because the data show that there is an increasing trend in the number of women who remain outside the education or training systems .

The "Youth Guarantee" measure allows persons up to 29 years of age who are not employed, nor involved in education and training to receive a job offer, continue their education or engage in one of the active employment measures within four months after their registration as unemployed persons. North Macedonia is the first country from the Western Balkans that started implementing the Youth Guarantee in 2018, first as a pilot project in several municipalities, and from 2020 it started to be implemented throughout the country.

Regarding the implementation of the measure, the data shows that in 2020, 20,000 young people registered for the Youth Guarantee, while 34.2% of them received a job offer within four months. However, it is important to note that in 2021 this figure has dropped significantly, with 18,000 registering for the Youth Guarantee, while the number of those who received a job offer within four months fell by 43.7%.

By region, the highest percentage of young people who are not employed and are not part of the education and training systems are in the Southwestern, Pologsk, Northeastern, and Skopje regions. Also, according to the data from young people who are not employed and are not part of education and training, there are more women, as well as the age group of 25-29 years, as well as those with completed secondary education.

The reasons why young people are unemployed and out of education and training can be divided into: short-term unemployment, i.e. people looking for a job for a year, long-term unemployment, discouragement, illness or disability, family obligations and other reasons. The higher percentage of women who fall into this category is mostly due to family responsibilities, which is observed in as many as five regions across the country. Also, the percentage of discouraged people who prevail in the Pologsk and Eastern regions is high. In addition, those persons who are in this group due to disability or illness are mostly represented in the Southwest region.

The International Labor Organization continuously provides support to national institutions - the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the Employment Agency, for planning, monitoring and reviewing the implementation of the Youth Guarantee.