DESPOTOVSKI: WE ARE LEAVING A SUCCESSFUL YEAR BEHIND US: WE HAVE AN AVERAGE GROWTH IN GROSS WAGES OF 20% AND 18,000 JOBS

DESPOTOVSKI: WE ARE LEAVING A SUCCESSFUL YEAR BEHIND US: WE HAVE AN AVERAGE GROWTH IN GROSS WAGES OF 20% AND 18,000 JOBS

The number of employees in TIDZ companies reached 18,000, which is the highest number ever. This is one of the key results of the work of TIDZ for 2023, which were presented by director Jovan Despotovski.

“We are leaving a successful year behind us. I am especially pleased that we are achieving the two basic goals we set at the beginning of my mandate, which are job growth and salary growth. This year, for the first time, we exceed the figure of 18,000 jobs. That means we have a healthy job growth trend that continues. This is an 11% increase in jobs compared to last year. What is also very important is that we register a significant growth in gross wages compared to last year’s average.

“According to the data from November, firstly, the gross salary within the Zones exceeded the amount of 60,000 denars and secondly, it is growing by more than 20%, which is 5% more dynamic in relation to the growth of salaries in the national economy,” said Despotovski.

According to initial analyses, the companies in TIDZ are expected to pour at least 75 million euros into the state budget based on contributions, profit tax and personal tax.

“That’s 75 million euros that will be used for education and healthcare in the next year. Just for comparison, six years ago we had annual payments to the budget that did not exceed approximately 10 million euros. So that all this is the result of the increased quality of work of the companies themselves. Also, this year we have a growth in net exports, which will exceed 20%, that is, we are talking about over 650-700 million euros that remain in the country,” Despotovski pointed out.

Despotovski also pointed out that TIDZ and the Chamber of Commerce have launched a new initiative “The Future Begins Home” whose goal is to create a platform through which already successful young people will motivate young people, and open access to European and well-paid jobs at home.

By the way, only this year in TIDZ, contracts with a total volume of over 450 million euros have been reached, which create 7000 new jobs, some of which are already implemented. Despotovski also announced new programs with a focus on domestic companies, as well as a new chapter in terms of attracting and supporting investments.