DESPOTOVSKI: 1000 NEW JOBS IN TIDZ IN JUST 6 MONTHS AND REACHED INVESTMENT CONTRACTS OF 240 MILLION EUROS

DESPOTOVSKI: 1000 NEW JOBS IN TIDZ IN JUST 6 MONTHS AND REACHED INVESTMENT CONTRACTS OF 240 MILLION EUROS

Over 15,000 employees in the Zones, reached investment agreements of over 240 million euros, as well as the largest investment ever agreed since the establishment of TIDZ of 126 million euros of German Gerresheimer are the key achievements and effects of TIDZ operations in the first six months of 2022.

“For the first time in June, we passed the limit of 15,000 employees in the zones, which is 1,000 new jobs since the beginning of the year alone. These are already the first effects of the investments that we achieved last year, which foresee the opening of over 2700 jobs in the following years. We also managed to achieve the largest investment in the Zones so far. The German pharmaceutical company Gerresheimer will invest 126 million euros. This is only the first such large investment. We are already talking to two new investors whose individual investments are over 100 million euros. With this, N. Macedonia enters the map of countries that have the capacity and conditions for seriously large, high-quality investments that have direct benefits for the citizens and the state,” said Jovan Despotovski, director of TIDZ, during the presentation of the results of the first six months and future plans of the directorate.

Despotovski pointed out that only in the first six months investment agreements were reached with 5 companies in the amount of 240 million euros, and potentially by the end of the year two more agreements in the amount of 160 million euros are expected to be closed. Despotovski also announced that negotiations are underway with an American-Taiwanese company for an investment of over 250 million euros, which is considering the Western Balkans and China as an investment option, and N. Macedonia in the region is in competition with Croatia and Serbia.

The analysis of TIDZ shows that only the agreements reached in the first semester should bring almost 3000 new jobs, achieve a total income of over 2.2 billion dollars, and over 130 million euros should be poured into the budget on the basis of contributions, personal tax and profit tax.

Otherwise, according to the analysis, a record half-year was registered in the zones in the past four years, both in terms of exports and imports. Thus, the total volume of exports in the first six months reached 1 billion and 717 million euros, which is an 11.5% increase compared to 2021, over 87% compared to 2020 and 25.5% or 49% more compared to the same period from 2019, i.e. 2018. There is also a record economic activity in imports into the zones. In the first semester of 2022, the total level of imports reached 1 billion 601 million euros, which compared to the same period in 2021 is 4.3% more, while compared to 2020 there is a growth of over 97%, and compared to 2019 and 2018 year there is a growth in imports of 23.6%, i.e. 63%. The analysis also shows a stable net export of 7.2% in the first six months.

Among the novelties that the directorate introduced in these six months is international ISO standardization for combating corruption and quality in work, development of a new methodology for state support to encourage investments, which is being prepared with the business community and PWC, #Smartinvest.mk, a new program for encouraging investments in cooperation with the Economist, as well as opening opportunities for young people and practice in TIDZ.

Despotovski announced that several initiatives will be implemented in the next period, including piloting activities within the Strategic Green Investment Fund. The second phase of the construction of the first green/health zone in the Balkans is underway, with an investment value of over 400 million euros, access to renewable energy sources in TIDZ with an investment value of over 120 million euros and the construction of the first high-tech development zone – Skopje 3 with investment potential of over 850 million euros and up to 5000 highly paid jobs.

The directorate is also working on the development of a new concept #Good job, the purpose of which is to encourage the growth of well-paid jobs in companies in TIDZ, as well as to encourage greater mobility of labor in the national economy, to create a unique and real labor market and to fully open the the labor market among companies in TIDZ.

To download the presentation, click herе.