Georgia extends tax exemption for cash register use at markets until 2028
Legislative amendments prepared by the government and presented to the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee by Deputy Finance Minister Mamuka Baratashvili revealed that the Government of Georgia plans to extend the tax exemption for the use of cash registers at markets until January 1, 2028. This will be the third extension of this obligation. Under […]
Read moreWorking hours in Kazakhstan are longer than in America, but salaries are lower
The World’s Hardest Working Countries 2025 report by Visual Capitalist shows that Kazakhstan is among the countries with the longest working weeks (38 hours on average).
In the USA an average working week is 36 hours, in Canada – 32, in the UK – 31 and in the Netherlands just 26.8 hours.
Turkmenistan has an average working week of 41.9 hours, then follows Tajikistan with 41 hours. The third place belongs to Uzbekistan, where people work an average of 40.4 hours, the fourth is Kyrgyzstan with 35.2 hours.
The shortest working weeks in the world are in the Netherlands (26.8 hours), Norway (27.1) and Austria (28.4) thanks to developed economies and strong labor productivity
The longest working week is in Bhutan (more than 54 hours).
Though the standard workweek in Kazakhstan is 40 hours, there are suggestions of a four-day workweek.
Spain, Japan, Belgium, Poland and several other countries have already tested this approach after the COVID-19 pandemic, and results were positive.
Some Kazakhstani businesses discussed adopting this model in 2023, but it has not been implemented yet.
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Read moreThe main cause of sale price hikes in the construction sector is personnel shortages
According to Beso Ortoidze, CEO of the development company «Arsi», the value of real estate and sale prices rise each day due to the personnel shortages.
As a study by the Business Association Index shows, the greatest sales price growth is expected in the construction sector. BAG index demonstrates that 21% of the surveyed companies have already raised their sales prices in the third quarter of 2025. 32% are expected to do this in the fourth quarter.
The problem is that, despite different opinions in the sector, the situation today is politically stable for ones and unstable for others. Detention impacts investors and the economic situation in the country negatively.
A growing trend for building materials and rising wages makes the real estate prices grow naturally.
To tell honestly, the price growth happened in 2023, when it was 30-35% per year, and for two years it was about 60%. It was not a sharp growth. The rise of real estate prices this year was 6-7%. Prices have stabilized for the second year in a row.
The global problems began in 2019. In 2019 an annual growth was 10%, but in 2022-2023, the increase of prices accelerated, setting a new benchmark. Before that, the price of one square meter was 800-900 dollars, now it is $1 500 on average.
Now, the market is set to accept this price. There are expectations that it is a temporary situation, and it would decrease, but experts believe that the price would remain. The main target now is not to let prices rise sharply in the next 2-3 years.
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Read moreSituation in the Ukrainian Labor Market: Labor Shortage and High Unemployment Rate
The Ukrainian labor market is experiencing a challenging period characterized by a paradoxical combination of a shortage of skilled workers and a high unemployment rate. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in 2022, the labor sector has undergone significant changes that have impacted economic activity and employment opportunities. Key Changes […]
Read moreAs of 1st January, higher salaries for all public sector workers
All employees in the public sector will receive a 5.1 percent salary increase starting from 1 January 2026, announced the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. This means that as early as February, monthly pay will increase on average between 4,000 and 15,000 dinars, depending on the job position and sector. President Vučić emphasised that due […]
Read moreKazakhstanis work more than Americans but earn less
Kazakhstan is among the countries with the longest working weeks, according to the World’s Hardest Working Countries 2025 report by Visual Capitalist. The study shows that Kazakhstanis spend about 38 hours a week at work on average — significantly more than in most developed countries. For comparison, Americans work an average of 36 hours, Canadians […]
Read more“Personnel shortages are the main problem in the construction sector that causes sale price hikes”
«Due to the personnel shortages , the value of real estate rises each day, which in turn drives up sale prices,» Beso Ortoidze, CEO of the development company «Arsi», states. In his words, the staffing shortage results in higher employee salaries, which significantly affects housing sale prices. Note: a study by the Business Association Index […]
Read moreRising wages and fewer low earners in Georgia’s job market
As data compiled by the research group PMCG showed, 985,975 people received a monthly salary in September 2025 (a 4.9 percent increase from August and a 2.6 percent rise compared to September last year, despite persistent unemployment).
According to economist Soso Archvadze, even a one-percent increase means tens of thousands of new jobs and an overall growth in salaries and improvement of the livelihoods of around 30,000 to 40,000 Georgians.
Also, the number of low-income earners has decreased.
As official statistics show, the share of people earning less than 600 lari per month declined to 12.5 percent in September, one percentage point lower than in August and three points lower than a year earlier. Simultaneously, the share of high-income earners, those making 2,400 lari or more, reached 33.6 percent, up half a point from August and 5.6 points from last September.
Nevertheless, economist Merab Janiashvili says that the information technology sector is the area that has grown sharply in recent years, particularly due to the increase of the number of foreigners working in Georgia (Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians).
According to him, 200 to 300 percent growth in the IT sector has certainly boosted the economy, but at the same time, many of these workers don’t pay taxes and contribute little in the way of social payments.
As Janiashvili also added, rising food prices and high levels of emigration are still the reasons of concern, despite Georgia’s overall strong growth rate. According to him, the impact of job growth depends on which sectors expand and which contract.
For instance, the increase in agriculture, where wages are lowest, makes a limited overall effect. In the opposite way, the increase in construction makes a clearly beneficial multiplier effect across the economy.
Nevertheless, inflation makes average wages appear higher than before. According to the economist, five years ago, 600 lari was considered a decent salary, but now its real value has fallen sharply. It is too early to speak about the improvement of the situation only because of the fact that fewer people earn under 600 lari. Many of them are nearly where they were before.
Economic growth above the regional average and an inflow of foreign professionals have made Georgia’s job market improve steadily since the pandemic years. According to analysts, the overall decline in low-income earners and the expansion of the middle-income group could signify a shift toward a more stable economy.
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Read moreProfessional Retraining Grants for Logistics, Transport and Agri-Machinery in Frontline Regions (Ukraine)
The initiative focuses on targeted professional retraining in areas of high demand, ensuring that individuals and communities can adapt to the evolving labor market and support long-term regional recovery. The program will provide two primary grants, with the flexibility to expand depending on the quality of applications and the availability of funds. The first grant, […]
Read moreThe Business Registers Agency introduces new company registration fees
The Managing Board of the Business Registers Agency (APR) has adopted a new Decision on Fees for Registration and Other Services, which defines the types, amounts, and payment methods of fees for all procedures carried out by the Agency – from the establishment of companies and associations to the registration of media outlets, travel agencies, […]
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