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FOR FASTER GROWTH

BUSINESS PRIORITIES. FOR FASTER GROWTH. * * * * ORGANIZATION fopM OF EMPLOYERS -·- ) OF MACEDONIA. Pre f ace.

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FOR FASTER GROWTH

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  1. BUSINESSPRIORITIES FORFASTER GROWTH **** ORGANIZATION fopM OFEMPLOYERS \-·-) OFMACEDONIA

  2. Preface The RepublicofMacedoniamaybeacountrywithasmallmarket,butdespitethisconstraint,byimplementingarangeofmeasuresandpolicies,itcanimprovethecompetitivenessofitseconomyandbecomeacountrywheredoingbusinessismorecost-effectiveandlifeisbetterasaresult.Therearemultipleandcomplexfactorsthataffectcompetitiveness;thebusinessclimatecanbeimprovedandacompetitiveMacedonianeconomy createdonlywiththejointeffortofallstakeholders,includingthegovernment,thebusinesssectorand civilsociety. InrecentyearsMacedoniahasmadesignificantprogressintermsofimprovingitsbusiness climate,whichhasbeenacknowledgedinstudiescommissionedbytheWorldBank, theWorldEconomicForum,theInternationalMonetaryFundandtheInternationalLabourOrganization(ILO).However,enhancingthebusinessclimateisacontinuousprocessthat requiresregularimprovementandadvancement.Tothatend,theOrganizationofEmployersofMacedoniaandtheBusinessConfederationofMacedonia,withthesupportoftheILOandwiththeprofessionalassistanceoftheMacedonianCenterforInternational Cooperationand M-prospect,implementedresearchonthethemeofanImprovedBusinessClimateforSustainable Enterprises,aimedatidentifyingkeyareasthatconstrainthebusinessclimateinMacedoniaandproposingrecommendationsforitsimprovement. Recommendationssuchasimprovingthelegalandregulatoryenvironmentbyincreasingthetimeavailableforconsultationswiththebusiness community,strengtheningtheroleoftheEconomic-SocialCouncil,andgivingalongerperiodforcompaniestoadjusttonewandamendedlabourregulationsareallaspectsthatarecrucialtoan efficientmarketeconomythatshouldserveasacreatorofnewemployment,andageneratorofeconomicgrowth,improvedlivingstandardsand overallprogress. The ruleoflawandsecurepropertyrightsareessentialforthecreationofapredictable,stable andsafeenvironment,bothforcurrentlyexisting companiesandthoseyettobeestablished,andforbothdomesticinvestorsandforeigndirect investments.The merepassingoflawsandamendmentsisnotsufficienttocreateamore stablebusinessenvironment;inthefuture,weneedtoworkharderontheimplementationoflaws, judicialreformsandthepreventionofcorruption. The growthofMacedoniancompaniesstilldependsonself-financingandbankloans.Thismeansthathighinterestrateshavetobeaddressed,andeasieraccesstofinancialservicesforsmallandmedium enterpriseshastobeprovided. The gapbetweentheeconomy’sdemandsandthesupplyofqualifiedlabourisstillanissue.Linksbetweenvocationalschoolsandenterprisesneedtobeimproved.Further,trainingandre-trainingshouldbeencouragedforunemployedpeople,toimprovetheirprofessionaldevelopmentandtheiraccesstoemployment. DespitethefactthatMacedoniaisoneofthecountriesintheregionthatoffersthebest conditionsforbusinessstart-ups,strongerfinancialsupportfortheimplementationoftheProgrammefortheDevelopmentofEntrepreneurship,CompetitivenessandInnovationforSmallandMediumEnterprisesisrequired. Webelievethattherecommendationsmadeinthisdocumentwillbeofbenefittopolicy-makers,socialpartners,businessassociationsandcivilsociety intheireffortstocreateabusinessclimatethatwillimprovethecompetitivenessandsuccessofdomesticcompanies,bothindomesticandforeign markets. OrganizationofEmployersofMacedonia PresidentAngelDimitrov BusinessConfederationofMacedonia PresidentMileBoskov 3

  3. COMPANIESDESERVEQUALITYREGULATIONANDITSFAIRIMPLEMENTATION Macedonia hasachieved considerable progressinassessmentoftheeaseofdoingbusinessinthecountry,beingranked23rdoutof185economiesin2012bytheWorld Bank’s DoingBusiness (DB)report.However,the quality oftheregulatoryenvironmentiscomparativelylow, as assessedbytheWorld Bank’s RegulatoryQualityIndex. Figure1.1. Generalregulation as aconstraintandburdentocompanies 36,5 95,9 Table1.1. Rankingfor easeofdoingbusiness Frequent legislative changesaremajorissue 37,1 95,3 Frequent legislative changesconstrainlong-termplanning 48,8 92,4 Rigorous penalty provision 48,8 91,2 Businesscommunityshouldparticipateinpreparation oflegislation 20,0 88,2 Timespentondealingwithregulation Source:WorldBank,DoingBusiness,databank Accordingtotheprimaryresearchdata,Employers’Survey(2013),generalregulationin Macedoniapresents a burdentocompanies:alargemajorityofrespondents(over80%)agreethatconformingtogeneralregulationtakesmuchoftheirfirm’stime.Companiesmainlycomplainaboutfrequentlegislative changes, andobservethatregulationsservethepurposeoffillingstatecoffers. 29,4 81,1 Regulationsfor budgetrevenues Source:Employers’ Survey 2013 4 BUSINESSPRIORITIESFORFASTERGROWTH

  4. Table1.2. The5mostburdensomeaspectsofthelabour legislation Intheperiodfrom2006onwards,severaltaxreformswereimplementedinMacedonia,whichreducedtheoveralltaxburden(bothinterms ofcostsandadministration)onMacedoniancompanies.InternationalcomparisonsshowthatMacedoniancompaniespayrelativelylowtaxes.Still,themajorityofsurveyedcompanies(80%)agreethatthetaxburdenisamajorinvestment constraint.Theymainlycomplainabouttheaveragetimeneededtocomplywithtaxlawsandthepercentageofturnovertakenbypayrolltaxes.Inaddition,morethanhalfoftherespondents objectthattaxesareprofit-insensitive,meaningthattheyhavetopaytaxesregardlessofwhethertheirfirmismakingprofitsornot. Aswell as easeoftheentryintothemarket,marketefficiencydependsoneaseofexit.In Doing Business 2013, Macedonia isranked 60thforeaseofexitfromthemarket,withtherankinghavingimprovedonlyrecently.Themostimportantreasonforclosingabusinessin Macedonia isnon-profitability,followed byproblemsingettingfinance.However,theprimaryresearchshowedthatthemajority ofcompanies(54.1%)haveconfidenceinthe bankruptcylegislationanditsimplementation. TheGlobalCompetitivenessIndex(GCI)ranksMacedonia in94thpositionforlabourmarketefficiency.Thismodestrankingismainlyduetotheareasof“cooperationinlabour-employerrelations”and“redundancycosts”. TheEmployers’Surveyhasshownthat,ingeneral,firmshavepositiveviewsonlabourlegislation.Companiesareleastsatisfiedwiththeshorttimeperiodrequiredfor adoptionandapplication ofnewlegislation. Table1.2presentsthefivemostimportantaspectsofcurrentlabourlegislationthatareseen as mostlynon-conducivetobusinesses. Source:Employers’Survey2013 Formostfirms(45%)healthandsafetyregulationalsopresentsafinancialburden. TheEmployers’Surveyshowedthatmorethanonethirdofcompanieshaveneverhadanexperiencewhereinterferencebyinspectorateshasnegativelyaffectedtheiroperations.Still,about11%offirmscomplainthattheyoftenexperiencesuchproblems.Moreover,about 44%ofrespondentsthinkthatinspectionsbytheStateLabourInspectoratearepoliticallymotivated(26.5%ofrespondentsbelievethisisthecaseoccasionally,while17.1%statethatthisisoftenthecase). ` Prepareadetailedanalysisoftheimpactof taxregulationoncompaniesdifferentiatedbysize.Thiswillshowifadjustmentsareneededinthetaxationsystemformicroand smallfirms; ` Implementaselectivereductionoftheratesofsocialcontributions,oradjusttheminimumbaseforpaymentofsocialcontributionswiththeminimumwage; ` Establishaquickbankruptcyprocedure; ` Givemoretimeforcompaniestocomplywithneworamendedlabourlaws,with stronginformativecampaignsbeforemajorlegislativechanges; ` FormacommitteewithintheEconomic-Social Council(ESC)thatwillcontinuouslyandrandomly check filesandreportsoflabourinspectionsandoverseeiftheirworkisfairor politically motivated,andpublishtheirreports. Keyrecommendations ` Improvethequality ofregulation,byincreasingthetimeavailableforconsultationswiththebusinesscommunity; ` Implementthe‘thinksmallfirst’ approachatalllevelsofgovernmentandallstagesofpolicy-making; ` Abolishnon-deductibleexpensestohelptheprofitlawbecomeprofit-sensitive; 5

  5. STRONGRULEOFLAW,TOUGHFIGHTAGAINSTCORRUPTION ishowever assessed as goodinMacedonia,withthecountryranked17th. IntheEmployers’ Survey,Macedonianbusinessesshowamoderatepositiveassessmentofthelegalframeworkforprotectingpropertyrightsandthestateoftheruleoflaw.However,mostrespondentsbelievethatthereisnotequaltreatmentforallcompanies. Most respondentsintheES(81.4%)alsosharetheviewthatproperty rights areprotectedandsecure.Still,39%ofsurveyedcompanies statethatmanyfirmshaveexperienced somethreattotheirpropertyrights.Alargenumberofrespondents(74.6%)agreewiththestatementthatthreatstotheintegrityofpropertyrightshavemadecompaniespostponeinvestmentdecisions(seeFigure2.1). Theruleoflawandsecurepropertyrightscreateamorepredictable,stableandsafeenvironment inwhichcompaniescanbeestablishedandgrow. World Bankdata,presentedinTable2.1,showthatMacedoniaischaracterisedbyarelativelylowruleoflaw,atthebottomoftheranking,comparedwiththecomparatorcountries,withtheexceptionofSerbia. Figure2.1. Threatsto property rights Table2.1. RuleofLawIndex,2011 4,7 48,2 38,8 Source:WorldBank,GovernanceMatters 7,1 1,2 Intermsofthetransparencyofpolicy-making,Macedonia isranked76th, as assessed intheWorld Economic Forum’sGlobalCompetitiveIndex(GCI).Incasesofdisputes,companies in Macedonia generallyhavetospendmanyresources,includingtime,tosettleadispute;thisisrelatedtotheinefficientlegalframework. Secureproperty rightsareimportantinanyinvestmentdecisionofcompanies,whetherfor start-upsorgrowingfirms.DatafromtheCGIshowthat Macedonia doesnotprovideahighsecurityofpropertyrights,thecountrybeingranked84th.Thestrengthofinvestorprotection Source:Employers’Survey2013:Answerstothequestion“Inyour view, havemanyfirms experiencedrecentthreatstotheirpropertyrights?” Note:DKmeans“don’tknow; NAmeans“doesnotapply” No,nonehave Somehave Mosthave Allhave DK/NA 6 BUSINESSPRIORITIESFORFASTERGROWTH

  6. Corruptionisathreattosocietyandtheeconomy.DatafromTransparencyInternational,presentedinTable2.2,showthat Macedonia wasranked69thoutof176countriesin2012intermsofperceptionsoftheexistenceofcorruption.Politicalpartiesandthejudiciaryareperceived as themostcorruptinstitutionsinMacedonia. Table2.2. CorruptionPerceptionIndex,2012 Keyrecommendations ` Instituteregularreporting byeachinspection bodyoninspectionsperformed,industriescovered,regions,etc.,withreportspublished onawebsite each quarter; ` Makeallpublicinstitutionscarryoutanalysesinthoseareasoftheiroperationthathavehigh potentialtoleadtocorruption,andproposepre-emptivemeasuresforavoidingcorruption; ` PublishaPublicProcurement bulletinto providethepublicwithacomprehensive,organisedandstructuredsourceofpublicprocurementinformation; ` IntroducequarterlythematicsessionsoftheEconomic SocialCouncilfocusedonthefightagainstthegreyeconomy; ` Strengtheninternalandexternal financialcontrolmechanismsinordertopreventorpenalisemisuseandfraudinthe use ofthepublicfundsofstateinstitutions. Source:TransparencyInternational,Corruption PerceptionsIndex,2012 Note:Thescorerunsfrom0to100,withalowerscoreindicatinglesscorruption Figure2.2. Levelofcorruption 7,6 10,0 15,9 22,4 44,1 Primarydatashowthatcorruptionisoneofthemainconstraints toMacedonian companies.Around66.5%ofsurveyedcompaniesbelievethatcorruptionposesan obstacletobusinesses,with22.4%ofrespondentscompletelyagreeingwiththisstatement. No,notatall Somehave Somewhat Mostly Source:Employers’Survey2013 Note:combiningthe‘mostly’and‘completelycategoriesamountsto66.5% DK/NA 7

  7. GrowthDependson Accessto ExternalFinance Afirm’sgrowthislimitedifitcanonlyobtainfinanceinternallyorthroughinformalnetworks.Thefullgrowthpotentialoffirms,andtheeconomicgrowthofacountry as awhole,cannotberealisedwithoutadequateexternalfinancing. TheperceptionofMacedoniancompaniesisthatmostfirms(64.1%)relyonself-financing, andthisaffectsgrowthandemployment. Most businessesdonotconsiderthattheirfinancingisadequatefor theirneeds,andbelievethattheirabilitytoraisecapitalhasaneffectonproduction. Figure3.1. Financingadequacyfor firms(responsestothequestion:towhatextentdoyouagreewiththestatementthat“firmfinancingisadequateaccordingyourneeds?”) DisagreeSomewhatAgreeAgreeCompletelyagree DK/NA 8,2 15,3 4,7 23,5 48,2 Self-financingresultsfromboththepreferences ofbusinessesandthelackofaccesstoexternalfinance. thanthereference countries. Figure3.3.Companies’ perceptionsofthelackofexternalfinancearesupportedbysuchindicators as credittoprivatesector(asapercentageofGDP),where Macedonia isperformingmorepoorly 250 200 150 100 50 0 Macedonia Ireland Source:WorldBank,WorldDevelopmentIndicators Slovenia Croatia Bulgaria Serbia 8 BUSINESSPRIORITIESFORFASTERGROWTH

  8. Table3.1. Financing preferences Figure3.3. Topthreeobstaclestoaccesstocredit 42% 16% 12% Bankasktoomuchinformationinorderto approvealoan Interestratetoohigh Banksarenotwillingtobeartherisks Domesticcredittotheprivatesector(%ofGDP) Fornewbusinessestherearefew‘businessangels’,limitedavailabilityofventurecapitalandlittle practiceofmakinginitialpublicofferings.Banksareakeysourceofexternalfinancing.Thepreference forself-financingisperhapsrelatedtotheperceptionthatfinancialproductsarenotadaptedtotheneedsofcompaniesofdifferentsizes,andparticularlynottosmallandmediumenterprises(SMEs). Policies,regulationsandservicestopromoteaccesstofinancialservicesforsmallandmediumenterprisesareinsufficientlyimplemented. Themajorityofbusinessesseeaccesstocreditas a constraint(69.4%). Keyrecommendations ` Increaseaccesstofinancefor theprivatesector,whichshouldincludetheNationalBankofthe Republic of Macedonia takingmeasurestodecreasethecostofcredit,alongwithfurtheravailabilityofinvestmentcreditswithgovernmentsubsidiesforinterestrates; ` Promotefurtherdevelopmentofthefinancial sector,stimulatinglargerbanksandpossiblespecialisation,withthedevelopmentofinvestmentbankingandnewfinancialproducts; ` Implementgovernment-ledpolicyandregulatoryincentivestoencouragefinancial institutions tolendtoSMEs.The governmentshouldsupportbanksfocusingonSMEs; ` Offerfinancetraining,advisoryservicesandprogrammestocompanymanagers; ` Developaffordablefinancialservicesforfirmsthroughpublic-privatepartnerships,covering differentstagesofdevelopmentanddifferentsizes ofcompanies; ` Workbothonthedemandandsupplysidesofequityfunding,e.g.bypromotingbusiness angelsandventurecapital.ThefoundingofthePublicInnovationFundisapositivestep,andtheFundshouldbemadeoperational assoon as possible. 9

  9. INVEST,INNOVATE,GLOBALISE,BECOMPETITIVE Faircompetitionishealthyforsocietyandbusiness.Itencouragescontinuousimprovement amongcompetitors,newinvestmentsintechnologyandhumancapital,andacontinuous struggletoimprove. Table4.1. Competitionandanti-monopolypolicyindica- tors,2012 fromtheGlobalCompetivenessIndexconfirms, notwithstandingrecentgovernmenteffortsto promoteR&D.Inaddition, Macedonia isranked133rdforfirm-leveltechnologyabsorption. Table4.2. CompanySpendingonR&D,2012 Source:WorldEconomicForum,GlobalCompetivenessIndex2013-2014 LocalcompetitioninMacedoniaseems quite low, withthecountryranked119thinGCI(seeTable4.1).Macedoniancompaniesarealsoonlymoderatelyorientedtowardstheircustomers. Thereismuchroomforimprovementintheeffectivenessofanti-monopolypolicy,as assessedbytheGCI.Among thecompanies surveyedintheEmployers’ Survey,onlyasmallproportion(22.4%)reportthattheyfacemonopoliesormonopolisticpracticesintheirareaofoperation.Macedoniancompaniesalsoreportthattheyrespondmoderatelytopricereductionsoftheircompetitors,whetherdomesticorforeign. Innovationshelptodrivegreatergrowthandincreased livingstandards.However,thelevelofinvestmentinresearchanddevelopment(R&D)inMacedoniais quite low,atlessthan0.2%ofGDP.Inaddition,companiesinvestverylittleinnewtechnologiesandinnovations, as thedata Source:WorldEconomicForum,GlobalCompetivenessIndex2013-2014 IntheEmployers’ Survey,themostpopularresponse(37.6%)isthatcompaniesin MacedoniadonotengageinR&Datall.Comparedtothis,36%believedthat some companiesareinvolved inR&Dactivities.Themajorityofrespondentsacknowledgethatthegovernmentoccasionally(30%ofresponses),sometimes(22.4%)oroften(1.8%)providesassistancetofirmstoinvestinR&D. Companiesingeneralaresatisfiedwiththeprotectionofintellectualpropertyrights. ThemajorityoffirmsintheEmployers’Survey(80%)reportthatwageincreasesattheircompanyhaveexceededproductivitygrowth(seeFigure4.1),whichnegativelyaffects competitiveness.Thisissuemayberelatedtoanineffectivesystemofwage-negotiations. 10 BUSINESSPRIORITIESFORFASTERGROWTH

  10. Figure4.1. Wageand productivity growth (%) DatafromtheGlobalCompetivenessIndexshowthatworkersinMacedoniareceive very littletraining,withthecountryranked126thfor“extentofstafftraining”.Manyrespondents(26.5%) statethatthereisnogovernmentsupportforcompaniestoincreasetheirproductivity.Alargenumberofcompanies(29%)donotknowifthereareanysuchprogrammes. Informaleconomicactivityandinformalemploymentcreateunfaircompetition.Primarydatacollectedbytheresearchconfirmthatinformaleconomicactivityis quite widespread: morethan70%offirmsreportthattheyfacecompetitionfrominformalorunregisteredbusinesses(seeFigure4.2).Moreover,40%ofall companiescomplainthattheyoftenoralways competewithinformalbusinesses. 14,7 44,7 5,9 4,1 30,6 Mostly No,NotatAll DK/NA Completely Somewhat Source:Employers’Survey2013 Figure4.2. Competitionfrominformalfirms(%ofrespondents) 7,1 11,8 38,8 35,9 6,5 Informal firmsare major competition 20,0 5,9 25,3 21,2 7,6 Compete against informal firms Never Rarely Often Always Don`tknow/Doesnotapply Source:Employers’Survey2013 Evenwhentheyseethemselves as ‘victims’ofinformalbusinesses,companiesin Macedonia report thattheyquiteoften use informalbusinesses as theirsuppliersorsubcontractors. Keyrecommendations ` Providespecialfinancingtocompaniesforinvestmentsinnewtechnologies(thosenoolderthanthree years); ` IncreasestatefundingforR&DtomeettheobjectivessetintheNationalprogrammeforR&D2012-2016; ` Devisemeasuresthatpromotecompetitivenessthrough qualityinsteadofthecurrentpricecompetitiveness; ` Aligngrowthinwageswithproductivity growth; ` Promotetrainingofworkers;establishafundfor co-financingthetrainingofworkersincompanies; ` Improvetheeffectivenessofthewagenegotiationsystem; ` Improvethelinkbetweenvocationalschoolsandcompaniestoenhanceworkers’skills; ` Focusonreformingthesecondaryeducationsystem,andre-direct some fundingfromhighereducationtosecondaryeducation; ` Increasethequality oftheadulteducation system. 11

  11. DevelopandUtiliseDomesticEntrepreneurialPotential Despitethepositiveassessmentofthebusinessclimateininternationalrankings,thenumberofbusinessstart-upsinMacedoniaisdecreasing.AccordingtotheGCI2012–2013,themainchallengestodoingbusinessin Macedonia arerelatedtoaccesstofinancing(17.1%),aninadequatelyeducatedworkforce(12.5%),corruption(11.5%),inefficientgovernmentbureaucracy(11.4%)andinadequatesupplyofinfrastructure(9.3%).Withahighlyexport-dependenteconomyanduncertaintysurroundingMacedonia’smaintradingpartnersintheEuropeanUnion,thegovernmentshouldfocuson utilisingdomesticentrepreneurialpotential. ups,including seed financing.Financialsupportshouldalsobestreamlined,alongwithadvisoryservices,inonebusinesssupportagency, workingcloselyinliaisonwithrepresentativesoforganisationsofentrepreneurs,banksandcivil societyorganisations(CSOs).Itshouldbemade significantlyquickerandcheapertowind-upbusinesses,inordertochallengestereotypesaboutfailure.Repeatentrepreneursshould bepromoted.Moreover,theprivatebusinessdevelopmentsectorshouldbefurtheradvancedandcoordinatedwithkeyinstitutions,includingtheAgencyforEmploymentandMinistryofEconomy. Alongsidethecurrentfavourabletaxsystemforforeigninvestors,thegovernmentshouldintroducenewtax alleviation measuresforbusinessstart-upsas well as forhigh-growth companies,whichwouldgiveadditionalimpetusforentrepreneurslookingtostartbusinesses.Thesecouldlastformaximumoftwoyearsandincludeexceptionfrompayingtaxonpersonalincomeforemployeesforthefirstyear. Table5.1. The top five problematicfactorsfor doingbusinessinMacedonia Source:WorldEconomicForum,GlobalCompetivenessIndex2012-2013 Thegovernmentshoulddesignacomprehensiveentrepreneurshipdevelopmentprogrammethatforeseesinnovativefinancingfor start- Figure5.1. Fivestepsforbusiness growth Strongerroleofentrepreneurial education Networkingofbusinesses Government support Alternative types ofenterprises Tax alleviations 12 BUSINESSPRIORITIESFORFASTERGROWTH

  12. Organisationsofentrepreneursshouldprovidemoresupporttonetworkingamongstbusinessesinordertobecomefacilitatorsofknowledgetransfertoemployersandtheiremployees.Theiradvocacyandlobbyingrolesshouldalsobestrengthened;thegovernment wouldbenefitfromrecommendationsmadeby organisationsofentrepreneurs.Organisationsofentrepreneursshouldfocusmoreattentiononregionalisationandinternationalisation. Thelowparticipation as entrepreneursofyoungpeople,womenandmembersofothervulnerablegroupshasanegativeimpactontheoverall entrepreneuriallevelofthecountry.ThereisagapbetweenexistingvaluesandentrepreneurialactivitiesinMacedonia.Thegovernmentshould allocatefundsforthepromotionofwomen’sentrepreneurshipas well associalenterprises andgreeneconomyendeavours,whichare seen asincreasinglysustainabletypesofbusinesses. Thereareveryfewlinksbetweeneducationalinstitutionsandbusinesssectors,whichcontributestomismatchinthelabourmarketbetweendemandandsupply.Thegovernmentshouldintroduceentrepreneurshipeducationtoelementaryschools,foregroundingthegradualintroductionofnewentrepreneurialsubjects,withexposuretoreallifebusinesssituations.Thegovernmentshouldalsoimprovetheworkof thenewVocationalCentreandAdultEducationCentre, as anotherwayofimprovingthefit betweendemandandsupplybyenhancingthejobskillsofuneducatedandunemployedpeople. Keyrecommendations ` Focusonutilisingdomesticentrepreneurialpotential,understood as humanpotential; ` Provideincreased governmentsupport, includingfinancialandnon-financialsupport,tobusinessstart-ups; ` Improvetheprocess forwinding-upbusinesses,withlowercosts,andsupportrepeatedbusinessstart-upendeavours; ` Introducetaxalleviationsforbusinessstart-upsandhigh-growthbusinesses; ` Encouragepartnershiprelationswithorganisationsofemployersandemployees,andenhancetheircapacity; ` Promotealternativetypesofsocialentrepreneurshipthatresultinsustainablebusinesses.Particularlyenableeasieraccesstofundingforwomenentrepreneursandgreeneconomyendeavours; ` Moderniseformalandnon-formaleducation systems(e.g.adulteducation)andimplemententrepreneurialeducation,startingfromelementaryschools. 13

  13. OrganizationofЕmployersofMacedonia TheOrganizationofЕmployersof Macedonia (ОЕМ)isthebiggestleadingorganizationofemployersinthewholecountry,establishedin2004.MaingoalofOEMistoadvocatetheemployers’interests,andtheinterestaboutthesocialpartnership as well,andtorealizethedevelopmentofrightsandfreedomsoftheemployersintheeconomicandsocialsphere.Ourvisionis Macedonia tobecomethemostincreasingeconomyontheBalkantill2017. OEMfocuses onthesocialdialogueon each level:EuropeanlevelthroughtheJoint ConsultativeCommittee(JCC),nationallevelwiththeEconomicandSocialCouncil(ESC),bipartitelevelwiththebranchcollectiveagreementsandcollectiveagreementon a levelofemployer. OEMalsoadvocatestheemployers’interest s throughitsmembersinthemanagementboardsoftheEmployment Service AgencyofMacedonia,PensionanddisabilityinsurancefundofMacedonia,Councilforhighereducationcurriculumsaccreditation,NationalEntrepreneurshipandCompetitivenessCouncil,andlastbut notleast some otherauthoritiesoftheinstitutions. Moreover,togetherwiththeparticipationofOEMintheJointConsultativeCommittee,partofEuropeanEconomicandSocialCouncil(EESC),moreinformationabouttheaccessionof Macedonia toEuropeanUnion(EU)aregiventotheemployers,throughrecommendationsadoptiontothegovernmentof Macedonia andtheEUinstitutions. TheemployersofOEM,withitsfourmembersfromtotal12,participateinthepolicycreationfromeconomic-socialsphereintheEconomicandSocialCouncil(ESC)onnationallevel,inwhichtheothertwopartiesarerepresentativesfromthetradeunionsandfourrepresentativesfromthegovernment. OEMrepresentsover17employers’branchassociations,includingthesmallandmediumenterprises, as well as largercorporativeenterprisesinthecountry. Therefore,OEMsigned10collectiveagreementsonbranchlevelandgeneralcollectiveagreementintheprivatesectorwhichismandatoryforalloftheemployersoftheabovementionedsector. 14 BUSINESSPRIORITIESFORFASTERGROWTH

  14. BusinessConfederationofMacedonia WiththeformationoftheConfederationofEmployersin2001asanassociationofcitizens-employerswebegantowriteanewhistoryofthefreedomofassociationofemployersinMacedonia. ThankstothesupportoftheInternationalLabourOrganizationandemployersmembersoftheInternationalOrganizationofEmployersandtheEuropeanOrganizationofEmployers(atthattimeUNICE)nowBUSNINESSEUROPEwemanagedtoagreewiththegovernment oftheRepublicof Macedonia in2005toregistertheorganizationasalegitimatesocialpartneroftheGovernment,thetradeunions,CSOsandlocalgovernmentsin Macedonia. Business Confederationof Macedonia asanon-profit,independentorganizationthatcollaborateswithpartnersrepresentingtheinterestsofitsmembersandpartner organizationsonthebasisofdecisionsthatarebasedondemocraticandtransparentwaysofanalysis,communicationanddecision-makinginlinewiththeStatuteoftheConfederation. TodayBCMrepresentmorethan6,500companiesthroughdirectmembershipandthroughcollectivemembershiporganizedin13partnerorganizationswithparticipationintheGDPofthecountrywithover40%.Theemployeesofthe Business Confederationof Macedonia areprofessionallytrained,managedbyninemembersoftheManagementBoardand30membersoftheorganizationassembly.ThemainofficeisinSkopjeandwehavearegionalofficesinBitola,Prilep,Tetovoforbettercommunicationsandservicestothemembersinordertorepresenttheirinterestsinthesocio-economicpolicies,collectivebargaining,standardsandeducationinthenationalandinternationallevel.Thestrategy2010-2015 oftheorganizationiscarriedoutbasedonpreviouslysetgoalsandobjectives,butthebasicvisionoftheorganizationisthat“AssociatedemployersforcompetitiveMacedonian economy”. БИЗНИСКОНФЕДЕРАЦИЈАНАМАКЕДОНИЈАBUSINESSCONFEDERATIONOFMACEDONIA 15

  15. ORGANIZATIONOFEMPLOYERS OFMACEDONIA ul.DimitrieCupovskibr.13,Skopje,Republicof Macedonia, telephone:..38923215085 e-mail:info@orm.org.mkwww.orm.org.mk BUSINESSCONFEDERATIONOFMACEDONIA VasilGorgov11,P.O.Box880, Skopje,Republic ofMacedoniaTelJfax:+38923224762 e-mail:contact@bcm.mk web-site:www.bcm.mk

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