Category: NEWS
Geostat: Pension and social assistance data for 2024
Geostat recently published data on Georgia’s social assistance and pensions, showing that a total of 864.3 thousand people received such benefits in 2024, while women accounted for 70.8% of pension recipients. Region-wise, the biggest number of pension-receiving people resided in Tbilisi (30.5%), followed by Imereti (15.6%), Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (10.3%), Kvemo Kartli (10.2%), Kakheti (8.6%), and […]
Read moreSerbia issued around 79,000 work visas last year
According to Marko Đurić, Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in the caretaker government, the country issued around 79,000 work visas last year, that shows a significant facilitation of the domestic labour market.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that he presented Serbia’s economic results and investment potential at a roundtable in The Hague, where representatives of Dutch companies came together.
Serbia is a small country, but open to economic investments and business cooperation and investing heavily in the IT sector. It could maintain consistent and stable economic growth.
Serbia has free trade agreements with China, Egypt, the UAE, and many other countries, while also having access to the European market, where it conducts the largest volume of trade.
Good political and economic relations with South American and African countries and a strategic dialogue with the United States were also mentioned by the Minister.
Nevertheless, the EU is still Serbia’s most significant foreign trade partner and the primary source of foreign direct investment, with Serbia being the leading trading partner of the EU in the Western Balkans.
Residence and work permits have been digitalized.
The Office for IT and eGovernment announced in a separate statement that they had approved 41,319 applications for a Unified Permit for temporary residence and work of foreign nationals in the first year of operation of the Foreigners’ Portal in Serbia.
Dr Mihailo Jovanović, the Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, said that they issued 3,004 unified permits in the form of a biometric document in card format in January 2025 alone. He added that the process for foreign nationals wishing to live and work in Serbia has been significantly simplified and accelerated by the establishment of the Foreigners’ Portal.
Foreign nationals or an employer on their behalf can submit an application for a unified permit exclusively online via the Foreigners’ Portal.
If the application is submitted independently by a foreign national, an account on the Electronic Identification Portal (eid.gov.rs) is necessary. An employer or a legal representative also needs a registered account on the eGovernment Portal (euprava.gov.rs) as a legal entity to submit the application.
It is also possible to submit applications for a Type C visa, which allows stays of up to 90 days and is issued for tourism, business, and other travel purposes, permitting single, double, or multiple entries into Serbia, and for a Type D visa, which allows stays from 90 to 180 days and is issued for employment, education, or family reunification purposes, on the Foreigners’ Web Portal.
Source Link
Read moreSlight increase in Ukrainian refugees with paid work in Netherlands
Nearly 60 percent of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands were employed as of November 1, 2024, according to new data from Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS). Of the more than 92,000 Ukrainian refugees aged 15 to 65, 59 percent held salaried positions, up from 55 percent in November 2023, marking a slight increase. Unlike […]
Read moreOfficial unemployment rate in Kyrgyzstan makes 1.8%
The number of unemployed citizens in Kyrgyzstan amounted to 70.6 thousand people in 2025, the press service of the country’s Ministry of Labor, Social Development and Migration said, Kabar reports. According to data of the ministry, the official unemployment rate in Kyrgyzstan as of January 1, 2025 was 1.8%. At the same time, the number […]
Read moreAround 79,000 work visas issued in Serbia last year
Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in the caretaker government, Marko Đurić, stated that around 79,000 work visas were issued last year, assessing that access to the domestic labour market has been significantly facilitated. He participated in a roundtable in The Hague, which brought together representatives of Dutch companies, where he presented Serbia’s economic results and […]
Read moreDigital Transformation for Non-Technical Leaders Driving Success Without a Tech Background
In an era where digital innovation is reshaping industries worldwide, Georgia is no exception. The country’s business landscape is undergoing rapid transformation as organizations adopt digital technologies to stay competitive, improve customer experiences and enhance operational efficiency. However, many leaders in Georgia, particularly those without a technical background, face unique challenges in navigating these changes. […]
Read more100,738.00 dinars is the average salary in November
As the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia announced today, the average net salary in Serbia for November attained 100,738 dinars, while the average gross salary, including taxes and contributions, was 138,911 dinars.
Gross salaries increased by 14.2% nominally and 9.1% in real terms in the period from January to November 2024, compared to the same period last year. The growth of the average net salary was 14.1% nominally and 9.0% in real terms.
The average gross salary for November 2024 grew up by 12.1% nominally and 7.5% higher in real terms, while the average net salary increased by 12.0% nominally and 7.4% in real terms compared to the same month of the previous year.
50% of employees received a salary up to 77,830 dinars (the median net salary for November 2024).
Source Link
Read moreEU’s visa-free travel suspension for diplomatic passport holders is slammed as “hypocritical” by Georgian Parliament Speaker
The European Council’s decision to suspend visa liberalization for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports was called “false and hypocritical” by Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday.
The suspension was announced by the EU body on Monday in response to controversial laws that the Georgian Parliament had passed last year, including the law on the transparency of foreign influence and legislation on family values and the protection of minors.
Papuashvili reminded the public the agreement on simplified visa issuance for Georgian officials signed under former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s “regime” in 2010 and accused Brussels of “targeting Georgia while ignoring the historical context” behind the original visa agreements in a post on social media.
Abuses from the Saakashvili era between 2004-2012, including “uninvestigated murders” of Sandro Girgvliani, Buta Robakidze, and Zurab Vazagashvili, seizure of media outlets like Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV, and formation of a “systematic culture of torture” in Georgian prisons, later condemned by the European Court of Human Rights, were also outlined by Papuashvili.
“Rigging” of the 2008 elections and the “regime’s complete control over businesses” were also referenced by the official.
Papuashvili emphasized that the creators of this autocracy, were rewarded by Brussels with visa-free travel, while ordinary people received the same privilege only seven years after the defeat of the regime by Georgian Dream.
Frustration over the EU’s stance on Saakashvili, who is currently imprisoned in Georgia, and Zurab Adeishvili, the wanted former Prosecutor General and Minister of Justice of Georgia, who is now in Ukraine, was also expressed by the Speaker.
As Papuashvili said, Brussels officials hosted the wanted Adeishvili last year in the same rooms where this decision was made today.
The bloc’s decision “no surprise given the ongoing calls for the release of Saakashvili, the architect of the authoritarian regime” was also noted by him.
Source Link
Read moreEmployment fears grow in Ukraine, but job market remains stable
Despite growing fears of job losses, most Ukrainian businesses are focused on retaining their workforce, as evidenced by the 2024 Labor Market Barometer survey, conducted by GRC.ua and published on Dec. 13, 2024. Survey’s key findings: 22% of Ukrainians fear layoffs, but 68.5% of companies in 2024 aimed to maintain their full workforce. In 2025, […]
Read moreAvramović: It’s not unrealistic that 10,000 people in Serbia’s automotive industry could lose their jobs
In Serbia, the automotive parts and components manufacturing sector includes more than 200 companies employing around 100,000 people. The crisis that has impacted German and other European manufacturers will reduce employment levels in Serbia. At least 10% of the workforce could lose their jobs. Exports, in particular, will be heavily affected, Nikola Avramović, Director of […]
Read more