Category: NEWS
Digital 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).
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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.
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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 moreAverage salary in November 100,738.00 dinars
The average net salary in Serbia for November amounted to 100,738 dinars, while the average gross salary, including taxes and contributions, was 138,911 dinars, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia announced today. The growth of gross salaries in the period from January to November 2024, compared to the same period last year, was […]
Read moreKazakhstan’s wages the highest among Central Asia, data says
Kazakhstan ranks first among Central Asian countries in average wages, according to ranking.kz. The country’s average salary is nearly double that of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports. According to the data, the average nominal salary in Kazakhstan was $817.2 as of September last year. This figure is nearly double that of Uzbekistan […]
Read moreGeorgian Parliament Speaker slams EU’s visa-free travel suspension for diplomatic passport holders as “hypocritical”
Papuashvili accused Brussels of “targeting Georgia while ignoring the historical context” behind the original visa agreements. Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday criticised the European Council’s decision to suspend visa liberalisation for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports, calling its basis “false and hypocritical”. The EU body on Monday announced the suspension as […]
Read moreShorena Kopaleishvili says that some IT companies have preferred Slovakia and Armenia to Georgia
Shorena Kopaleishvili, Chairman of the Association of Georgian Virtual Zone, assessed 2024 as a negative year for the IT sector due to gradual disappearance of the trend of turning Georgia into a regional center that developed over the years. The reasons of that are leaving of foreign companies from the country and difficulties with the support of existing ones. Kopaleishvili told Сommersant that the unstable business environment had mainly caused this situation.
According to Kopaleishvili, small and medium-sized international companies mainly represent an IT intra-industry called the Association of Georgian Virtual Zones. In 2024 the growth declined both in terms of interests and the trend of existing companies to leave Georgia compared to the boom in the sector and even compared to the 2023 figures. There were other prerequisites with companies with the status of a virtual zone, because they had had a two-year dispute with the tax authorities, although positive dynamics was still maintained in spite of the unstable environment and political and economic fluctuations. They set some parameters for the IT sector, and this business strives for as well as it needs to meet certain needs.
Several factors, such as the preferential regimes established by the state for the virtual zone and international IT companies, let Georgia become regional leader in this area several years ago. This made many successful or start-up IT companies get interested in entering the jurisdiction of Georgia. Moreover, activity in the country was stable and predictable in addition to that. As Shorena Kopaleishvili notes, the combination of these parameters for a certain period of time boosted the attraction of financial resources.
It is highlighted by IT intra-industry that, in spite of preservation of favorable conditions, the business and economic environment is still the main thing. Neighboring Armenia has been chosen for settling in by some IT representatives who have left Georgia.
In fact, the development of the IT sector has been hampered by the current situation in the country, although the preferential regime in Georgia remains and has not changed. Other preferential regimes are being looked for by companies. Slovakia, as well as Armenia, which is very actively working on changing and improving legislation, have been chosen by some of member companies that have left Georgia.
Shorena Kopaleishvili, Chairperson of the Georgian Virtual Zone Association, emphasizes the impossibility to attract companies only with benefits and tax preferences, without preservation of the existing ones either, in an interview with Commersant.
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Read moreUkraine needs to quickly attract foreigners to rebuild economy – expert’s opinion
As the war ends, Ukraine will need to attract not only Ukrainians but foreign citizens (as employees, taxpayers and investors) to rebuild the country’s economy. The relevant statement was made by Andrii Haidutskyi, an economist and migration policy expert, in an interview with Ukrinform. “If Ukraine does not solve the issue of attracting people with […]
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