Category: Author’s post

The document for employment without a residence permit in Serbia and North Macedonia is issued by the government

The government of Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia approved a document called Open Balkan Charter. It gives free access to the labor market of 12 million inhabitants to any interested individual. The protocol approved by the government and published in the official notebook allows citizens to apply through a special electronic platform set up by […]

Kazakhstan has a million new jobs on the horizon

The task to create employment for around a million citizens this year was given by Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov to his government at a meeting on sustainable employment on June 25. According to Svetlana Zhakupova, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, employment for 948 thousand Kazakhstan citizens must be ensured in […]

Economic gains are unlocked by Kazakhstan’s working-age population growth

Nearly all societal support systems are impacted by the evolution of Kazakhstan’s demographic landscape: the labor and consumer markets, the education, healthcare and pension systems.
The first change over the past decade is the decrease of the proportion of working-age citizens within the population from 64% in 2011 to 57.7% in 2023. Also, the rise of the share of children from 26.1% to 31.2% and the increase of the share of the older generation from 9.9% to 11.4% have been recorded.
Nevertheless, the share of the working-age population has been declining slower in recent years due to a high birth rate the 2000s.
The second change is the decline of the share of women in the population structure (51.8% of women and 48.2% of men in 2011). A decrease by 0.6% was shown by the share of women by early 2023 due to the increasing number of citizens below working age with a higher rate of the male population (48.6% women and 51.4% men as of early 2023).
The third change is an aging population that the northeast and central regions of the country are facing due to low natural population growth and negative net migration. North Kazakhstan (18.6% at the beginning of 2023), East Kazakhstan (19.3%) and Kostanai (16.8%) have the highest proportions of elderly residents. On the contrary, the youngest populations can be found in the Turkistan and Mangystau regions.
It shows that the country’s current demographic situation is quite favorable and provides substantial internal resources for the labor market and the overall economy.
An economic advantage that a country can gain due to shifts in the age structure of its population is referred to by the concept of a “demographic dividend” or “demographic bonus”.
Notable examples of effectively leveraging the demographic dividend are offered by Southeast Asia in global practice. According to experts’ estimation, the “economic miracle” experienced by the East Asian Tigers, accounting for between one-quarter and two-fifths of their economic growth during the 1980s and 1990s, was significantly contributed to by this demographic advantage.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reports the soaring of the Republic of Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita by 2,200% from 1950 to 2008. Nevertheless, as the example of Brazil shows, favorable demographic trends do not always lead to GDP growth. Consequently, capitalizing on emerging development opportunities for addressing demographic challenges should be one of the main tasks of socio-economic policy.
This article was written by Anna Alshanskaya, the head of Department of Economic Policy and Analysis at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan (KazISS).

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Serbia and RMV, a joint labor market in Albania and “visa-free” workers in Open Balkans

The Open Balkans Agreement for a common labor market allows Albanian citizens to work in Serbia and North Macedonia.
According to this agreement between Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia, citizens can go to work without obstacles and paper bureaucracy in any of the two countries they are not residents of.
They launched the initiative to keep employees in the region at one of the Open Balkans summits in December 2021, and the governments of the three countries are already finalizing it to allow citizens to work and live freely in each of the states.
The agreement states that a personal identification number is necessary for citizens of Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, who want to be employed in one of the members of the Open Balkans or have already found an employer. It is possible to register electronically, initially with a form on the e-Government platform, and with an identification document to get this number.
A request for free access to the labor market can be submitted by the interested part on the e-government portal of a given country.
The population of the three countries together is currently estimated at about 11 million inhabitants, and Serbia has 30,000 vacancies for doctors, nurses, craftsmen and technicians. Albanian private service companies also have many empty places, while seasonal employees are mainly accepted in North Macedonia so far. Perhaps, the new approach will make it announce its offers as well.

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Average $175 raise in pay is promised to 37,000 teachers by Georgian PM

An average increase of ₾500 ($174.53) in salaries starting on July 1 was promised to 37,000 teachers across the country (70 percent of the total number working in the profession) by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday.
₾800 ($279.25) more in their monthly pay would be received by a “certain category” of teachers.
The continuous character of reforms in education and their extension to all areas of the sphere over the next four years were emphasized by the PM.
As Georgian Education Minister Giorgi Amilakhvari told the country’s Parliament last week, his office’s plans for the national general education system aimed to “strengthen patriotism, national spirit, national identity, state thinking, respect for the family institution and general and universal values in students”.
According to him, the first approval of an updated vision was marked by the plan since 2004, following “extensive discussions” and “active involvement” of schools. The plan included MPs strengthening the autonomy of general educational institutions and providing schools with “more academic freedom”.
Construction and renovation of over 170 schools at a total cost of ₾915 million ($319.40mln) was additionally announced by the Minister.

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Germany doubles quota for Western Balkan workers

Western Balkan workers who want to reach Germany for work purposes will be positively affected by Germany’s third stage of the Skilled Immigration Act entered into force on June 1, 2024.
The introduction of a new Opportunity Card and the increased number of work visas granted under the Western Balkans Regulation are the two most important changes. The number of temporary work visas granted to nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia under the Western Balkans Regulation will double.
A points system is the basis of the Opportunity Card. Foreigners recognized as skilled workers and to those who have at least six points using the points system will get the document.
Completion of at least two years of vocational training or holding a university degree as well as possession of sufficient German or English language proficiency, at A1 or B1 level, respectively, must be proved by nationals of non-EU countries willing to reach Germany for work purposes to obtain an Opportunity Card. They will be able to look for a job for up to 12 months or for additional two years.

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Bilateral talks between CS Bore and Kazakhstan’s Labor vice minister are held

Opportunities for Kenyan workers in Kazakhstan and the establishment of a consulate of Kenya in Kazakhstan were in the center of the discussions between Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore and Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister for Labor Akmadi Sarbassov held on the sidelines of the ongoing International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to Bore, this high-level dialogue was focused on the mutual interests of Kenya and Kazakhstan in the labour sector, especially on the complementation of the demand and supply of labour between the two countries and creating opportunities for Kenyan workers in Kazakhstan.
She also noted that the demand for English and Science teachers in the Central Asian country presents a substantial opportunity for Kenyan educators.
Bore said that Kenya has a robust pool of qualified teachers who can fulfil this demand and foster educational ties between the two nations.
The two other opportunities for Kenyans beyond education are technicians and health professionals.
According to Bore, Kenyan professionals have the potential to serve in various sectors in Kazakhstan, for example, bilateral cooperation in technical fields or in the healthcare sector which continues to expand and requires skilled healthcare professionals.
The draft Bilateral Labour Agreement for Labour Migration has been considered by the team. It will streamline the migration of workers between Kenya and Kazakhstan and will manage the process with the aim to protect workers’ rights, follow employment standards and make the labor migration safe and profitable for the both countries.

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Access to Serbian labor market for foreign nationals is eased.

A total of 13,464 work permits has been issued to foreigners by Serbia this year. Personal work permit was obtained by 321 individuals, asylum seekers got 12 permits (nine in Belgrade). Foreigners classified under special categories have got 16 work permits this year.
According to Svetlana Milović, a workforce analyst at the National Employment Service (NES), there is a flow of asylum seekers from different countries (Iran, Pakistan, Cuba, Burundi, Cameroon, Syria, Algeria, India and Russia). 83 work permits were issued by NES to Ukrainians.
According to the recent amendment to the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Employment of Foreigners, effective February 1, all foreign nationals, including refugees and asylum seekers, have streamlined access to Serbian labor market. It is necessary to highlight that a work permit is no longer required for refugees and asylum seekers, exactly as in European Union countries. Access to the labor market is gained six months after filing for asylum.
A work permit is no longer needed for individuals granted asylum in Serbia starting February 1. They also exempt them from high fees and complex administrative procedures. Unrestricted access to the labor market is provided to this demographic now, following the example of EU countries. The aim of the amendments is to enhance workforce integration, but they have also implemented some measures to safeguard the domestic labor market and to prioritize Serbian citizens for employment opportunities if necessary.
A labor market test must be conducted by the employers before hiring a foreigner. They have introduced quotas for certain industries. Sanja Granović from the Ministry of Labor and Employment has announced the cessation of the existence of the category of personal work permits in the system as of the upcoming fall.

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Amended tax code to annul tax debts of 145,842 individuals is approved by Parliament

Amendments into the tax code of the country that will write off tax debts totalling ₾591 million ($221.53mln) for 145,842 individuals and establish temporary tax reliefs for certain transactions were approved by the Parliament of Georgia on Wednesday.
According to Paata Kvizhinadze, the Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, they will fully write off the recognized tax debts incurred and unpaid before January 1, 2021 of all private entities, including individual entrepreneurs.
Tax reliefs for transfer of ownership rights to Georgian enterprises for all assets of foreign enterprises registered in the country with preferential taxation until January 1, 2028 are also established by the amended code.
As the legislative body said, the relevant operations would be exempted from profit, income and property taxes. They will exempt import of assets or goods into Georgia from import taxes within the scope of this operation, and they will exempt Georgian enterprises from property tax until January 1, 2030.

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The withdrawal of capital is being countered within the framework of tax administration

The results of tax control measures within the framework of countering capital outflow from the country show that taxes were additionally accrued in the amount of 17.7 billion tenge by the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the automatic exchange of information […]