Category: Author’s post
Minimum wage will reach 53,592 dinars in 2025
Representatives of the trade unions, employers, and the Government addressed the public regarding the results of their talks about increasing minimum wage after the session of the Socio-Economic Council.
According to Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, they agreed upon the minimum wage during the session for the first time in six years. It means that the Government will not have to make the decision unilaterally.
Miloš Vučević said that they agreed upon the increase of the minimum wage by 13.7 percent (308 dinars per hour, or 53,592 dinars per month) after many meetings, discussions and a lot of work. According to the PM, the minimum consumer basket from May (53,518 dinars) will be covered by this amount of the minimum wage.
As Finance Minister Siniša Mali mentioned, the non-taxable income threshold will increase to 28,432 dinars from January 1. A record-low unemployment rate of 9.4 percent was also highlighted by him.
A satisfaction with the outcome of the negotiations was expressed and the focus areas for the upcoming period were pointed out by the President of the Employers’ Union, Miloš Nenezić.
The sum of 62,000 dinars was demanded by the trade unions, the employers’ wish went slightly above 50,000 dinars, and a desire for the amount to be between 53,000 and 53,500 dinars was expressed by President Aleksandar Vučić.
Čedanka Andrić, President of the Nezavisnost Association of Trade Unions, said that fifty-six percent of the average salary provided a good starting point for the negotiations they will continue to have. He also added that he would have been much more satisfied if that amount could have been higher at the moment, but this is the kind of consensus that could be achieved.
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Read moreMore than 10,000 ethnic Kazakhs came back to Kazakhstan in January- July 2024
According to Kazinform News Agency, 10,134 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to Kazakhstan and received the status of kandas as of August 1, 2024.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection reports that 47.5% of the ethnic immigrants came from China, 37% arrived from Uzbekistan, 5.8% from Turkmenistan, 5.2% from Mongolia, 3.2% from Russia and 1.3% came from other countries.
59% of ethnic immigrants are people of employable age, 31.3% are underage children and 9.7% are pensioners as of August 1, 2024.
The majority of them were located in workforce-deficit areas, such as Akmola, Abai, Kostanay, Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan and North Kazakhstan regions.
Some benefits are provided to those settling in the abovementioned areas.
Firstly, each family member gets a lump-sum travel costs to the amount of 70MCI (monthly calculation indices) (258,400 tenge). Secondly, each family gets a monthly housing rent and utility allowance for the period of 12 months, amounting from 15 to 30 MCI depending on the number of family members (from 55,300 to 110,700 tenge).
Since 1991, 1,138,500 ethnic Kazakhs in total have come back to the historical motherland.
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Read moreStatistics office reports a 3.1% decrease of unemployment rate in Georgia in Q2
A new update of data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia shows a decrease by 3.1 percent of unemployment rate in Georgia in the second quarter of 2024 year-on-year and (13.7 percent across the country).
According to Geostat, the number of hired employees had increased by 2.1 percent (935,800 individuals), while the number of self-employed had increased by 10.1 percent (451,500).
The Office reported a 17.7 percent decrease of the number of unemployed in the same period (219,700).
An increase by 2.8 percentage points was shown by the employment rate (47 percent) and a 1.3 percentage points growth was demonstrated by the share of the labour force in the total population aged 15 and older increased by year-on-year (54.5 percent).
3 percentage points increase of employment rate was registered in urban settlements (47.9 percent) and by 2.5 percentage points in rural areas (45.8 percent).
The Office reported that 67.5 percent among employed individuals were hired employees (1.6 percentage points lower than the previous year’s corresponding period).
The decrease of the unemployment rate in both urban areas and rural settlements was by 3.5 and 2.5 percentage points respectively in Q2.
The rate was traditionally higher for men (2.6 percentage points down, 10.9 percent) than for women (3.6 percentage points decrease, 15.9 percent).
According to Geostat, the indicator of the labour force participation rate was 44.4 percent for women (increased by 1.5 percentage points) and 66.1 percent for men (1 percentage points up) in Q2.
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Read moreResidence permits to work in Lithuania must be obtained by Ukrainians without temporary protection starting from September 2024
Ukrainian refugees without temporary protection will need a residence permit since September 1, 2024 to continue working in Lithuania.
Before that, Ukrainians could work in Lithuania even without a permit, due to certain conditions they met.
So, these changes will affect all those who used the visa-free regime or had a valid Schengen visa, as well as those who had national visas issued based on unforeseen circumstances.
According to the explanation of the Lithuanian Department of Migration, as soon as the new rule becomes effective, Ukrainians without temporary protection will be able to work only after they receive their permit and not from the submission date. It is suggested that everyone takes care of their application ahead of time.
It makes a foreigner who is not entitled to temporary protection but unable to return to Ukraine due to hostilities and who has applied for a temporary residence permit on work or humanitarian grounds be entitled to work from the date of obtaining a residence permit, and not from the date of submission of their application.
Lithuania’s Department of Migration assures that Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war who benefit from the Temporary Protection Mechanism introduced by the European Union in Lithuania after the Department of Migration grants them digital residence permit will not be affected by such changes.
So, newly arrived war refugees can start work when they apply for a temporary residence permit to the Migration Department under temporary protection, as before.
According to Lithuanian authorities, Ukrainian employees will not have to meet language requirements (to speak Lithuanian) to work in the country for at least another year (until 2025).
The period during which “categories of knowledge of the state language will not apply to the employment of foreign nationals under temporary protection in Lithuania” that initially was two years after receiving temporary protection, has been extended to three years by the country.
The period of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees was extended until March 2025 by the decision of the Cabinet at the beginning of this year.
The Ministry of Social Security and Labor reported that almost 30,000 Ukrainians have found work in Lithuania since the beginning of the full-scale occupation of Ukraine by Russia from February 2022 until February 2024.
According to an International Organisation for Migration (IOM) survey of Ukrainian refugees living in Lithuania, 70 per cent of respondents were actively involved in the labour force (73 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women), while 30 per cent remained inactive (27 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women).
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Read moreFuture employment challenges are navigated by Kazakhstan’s youth
There are many challenges for young people in the global labor market, in Kazakhstan as well. The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports 73 million unemployed young people worldwide, with one in five engaged neither in employment nor in education.
Economic instability makes young people particularly vulnerable in the labor market. Having completed higher or secondary specialized education, many young people accept existing job vacancies not aligning with their needs, often outside their field of study, or remain unemployed for extended periods.
About 40% of the country’s workforce in Kazakhstan is constituted by young people under 35, and over 75% of them were paid employees in 2023. 40% of the young workforce are employed by the service sector.
Nevertheless, there are some obstacles that hinder young people’s career development and their ability to secure employment.
The first barrier is unemployment: the issue remains significant, although its rate in Kazakhstan was 3.5% in 2023, significantly lower than the national average of 4.7%. Young people without high levels of professional training are more likely to remain unemployed. Also, higher unemployment rates are registered among young women (4.3%) compared to young men (2.9%).
The second obstacle is informal employment, which young people are more frequently engaged in compared to adults, especially young men. Rural self-employed young people, especially those with low education and income levels, are the most affected by informal employment.
The third problem is the Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) category. Approximately 7.3% of Kazakh youth fall into it. The highest shares of NEET young people are in the Karagandy (10.3%) and Mangystau (10.2%) Regions, but this statistic varies significantly across the country.
As for the future of the labor market, it is necessary to mention a “demographic window” for economic growth that an increasing share of youth in its population will make Kazakhstan experience over the next 10-15 years.
Nevertheless, a declining birth rate and a growing elderly population will follow this temporary “youth bulge”.
According to international studies, younger workers are demanding new working conditions and emphasize on global trends like work-life balance. Flexible employment is another popular expectation among young people. At present, remote work is actual for less than 1% of Kazakhstan’s employed population, but, according to experts’ estimations, it has the potential for around 30%.
All these trends will make the labor market adapt to the younger generation’s needs and expectations. New employment models must be implemented and relevant educational programs must be developed by companies to prepare for these changes.
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Read moreYear-end – report announces that Air Serbia eyes launch of test Baku flights
According to media reports, Belgrade-Baku flights may start being operated by Air Serbia on a trial basis by the end of the year.
As Air Serbia year-end – report announces, the launch of test Baku flights is eyed by the company.
News portal EX-YU Aviation cited Serbia’s culture minister Nikola Selakovic, who said after the eighth meeting of the Azerbaijan-Serbia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation held in Baku last week, that the talks on the service launch will start in the coming days.
Selakovic said that Air Serbia plans to expand its operations to the Caucasus region, being the national airline, and Baku will be the first destination. The minister also noted that citizens of Serbia and Azerbaijan enjoy a visa-free regime between the countries.
According to Selakovic, nonstop flights with Azerbaijan are already operated by most of Serbia’s neighbouring countries. He also added that Air Serbia is willing to cooperate with Azeri carriers on the route.
According to Serbia’s government, strengthening of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia in different sectors, including transport, infrastructure, energy, trade and agriculture was discussed by the parties during the intergovernmental commission meeting.
Diplomatic relationships between Azerbaijan and Serbia were established in 1997. The Declaration on Friendly Relations and Strategic Partnership was signed by the two countries in 2013.
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Read moreDirect flights to Georgia are planned to be launched by AIR CHINA from September
According to Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, Chinese tourists traditionally choose long-term tours and have high spending power. Tourism and civil aviation sectors, as well as bilateral trade and economic relations will benefit from the increase of the number of visitors from China caused by direct flights between the two countries.
As Chinese Civil Aviation Agency said on Wednesday, the country’s largest airline AIR CHINA is interested in launching direct flights between Georgia and China from September.
According to the state Agency, launching direct flights between Tbilisi and Ürümqi three times a week is being considered by AIR CHINA.
“An additional impetus” to deepening cooperation in the civil aviation sector, given by the visa visa-free travel regime between the two countries, was emphasized by Kvrivishvili.
She said that China is a new priority destination for the Georgian tourism sector.
As the Deputy Minister added, there are active negotiations between the Georgian Government and other Chinese companies regarding the start of flights from different cities.
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Read moreThe Balkans have shortage in local workforce
Low wages and stalled EU membership cause the chronic lack of workforce in the Balkans, which is especially noticeable in Montenegro in the midst of the summer season. The country, being heavily reliant on tourism as a primary source of income, is struggling to find local labour. Many young people are seeking better jobs in EU states, especially in neighbouring Croatia. Meanwhile, the number of foreigners entering Montenegro increases. The number of Russians arriving to Serbia to live and work there since the start of the war in Ukraine is also increasing. This country seems to them to be an ideal place to start a new life due to its traditional close ties with Moscow. According to the Serbian Interior Ministry, more than 200,000 Russians have arrived in the country over the last two years, and many of them plan to stay.
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Read moreThe visa regime and consular cooperation between Kazakhstan and Austria are to be simplified
DKnews.kz reports a meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev and Secretary General of the Austrian Foreign Ministry Nikolaus Marschik in Vienna.
The prospects for the development of Kazakh-Austrian relations, in particular the importance of organizing reciprocal visits at the high and highest levels interlocutors, were discussed.
Bakayev expressed Astana’s commitment to the peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and Kazakhstan’s readiness to provide a platform for relevant contacts if requested and discussed the results of the SCO Summit held in Astana on 4 July this year.
The prospects for cooperation between the two countries, as well as Kazakhstan’s active work in international organizations and its balanced approach to world issues were highly appreciated by Marschik.
The regular Kazakh-Austrian consular consultations took place on the same day. Deputy Minister Bakayev headed the Kazakh delegation, while Georg Stillfried, Head of the Consular Department of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, led the Austrian delegation.
The sides exchanged views on draft intergovernmental agreements on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic passports and readmission and discussed issues of simplification of the visa regime of EU countries for citizens of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh delegation expects Austria to initiate official negotiations between Kazakhstan and the European Union.
The parties also discussed prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the field of migration and the fight against human trafficking and confirmed their willingness to further strengthen cooperation in the consular field.
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Read moreStrike of thousands at Georgia’s major student employer
Demand of a pay raise and proper working conditions made more than 4,000 workers at Evolution Georgia, an online casino known for employing a large number of Georgian students, go on strike on July 12.
The company employs “about 16,000+ people in studios across Europe and North America,” half of which, up to 8,000 employees, could be working from “Evolution Georgia”, opened in 2018. They are mostly local students seeking employment to make ends meet.
The official wage policy reports that a full-time entry-level job as a game presenter can earn up to GEL 900 (USD 329) net per month for day shifts and GEL 1225 (USD 450) for night shifts.
But the workers say that the net hourly wages range from GEL 3 (USD 1) for shufflers to GEL 5 (USD 1.8) for game presenters, and an important part of their salaries consists of bonuses of GEL 300-400 (USD 110-145) per month that they could easily lose due to unforeseen circumstances. Workers have to sit upright for hours on uncomfortable chairs, under bright lights and cameras pointed at them, with poor air conditioning.
Launching strikes legally is notoriously complicated in Georgia, so, this one is called “historic.” The company management is trying to prevent the workers from joining the action. The Georgian Public Defender’s office has issued a statement citing widespread practices of employers resorting to “harassment of workers based on dissenting opinions, dismissals, or other types of violations of labor rights” when faced with worker dissatisfaction.
According to Evolution Georgia, the majority of workers continue to work.
Georgian workers struggle nationwide to secure better working conditions. Young people are also searching to protect their political and social rights.
Georgian students have never had an easy life, but the economic shocks of recent years made it even worse. It became more difficult to afford to study in Tbilisi for students hailing from outside the capital, which has led to repeated protests at Georgian universities.
Some observers have come to suggestion that the problem of Evolution Georgia goes far beyond the dimension of labor rights: thousands of students were flocking to gambling companies, due to lack of better alternatives.
According to Guro Imnadze of the Social Justice Center, a Georgian progressive NGO, working in online casinos, call centers, and similar fields leads to “exhausted, exploited, non-professional workers who have nowhere to go but to another similar sector that continues to exploit and exhaust such people”.
He reminds about the state’s responsibility to ensure the proper functioning of the labor market, which requires reforming education, vocational training, and student employment programs.
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