analysis-youth and self-employment

United NationsDevelopmentProgramme

Analysis: Youth and Self-employment- why and how

2

Authors:

Snezana Mircevska-Damjanovska, National Technical Advisor, UNDPAfërdita Haxhijaha Imeri, Programme Officer, Social Inclusion Practice, UNDP

Special thanks to the involved local employment centres within the Employment Service Agency, aswell as UNDP project monitoring officers for all the efforts the employed in the realization of theanticpated activities.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 4

2. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................ 5

3. THE PURPOSE OF THE ANALYSIS.......................................................................................... 6

4. RESEARCH METHODS AND TECHNIQUES ............................................................................. 7

5. ANALYSIS SAMPLE………………………………………………………………………………………………..………....8

5.1. Sample for the quantitative methodological procedure……………………………….…………....8

5.2.Sample for the qualitative methodological procedure…………...…………………………….…....9

5.2.1. Sample for the focus group of young people that were not successful whileapplying for the 2008 Employment Programs ................................................................. 9

5.2.2. Sample for the focus group of young people that were successful while applying forthe 2008 Employment Programs .................................................................................... 9

6. FINDINGS OF THE ANALYSIS................................................................................................10

6.1 Findings of the questionnaire intended for young people up to 27 years ofage………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………10

6.2 Findings of the focus groups of young people that were not successful while applyingfor the 2008 employment programs………………………………………………………….……………...……24

6.3 Findings of the focus groups of young people that were successful while applying forthe 2008 employment programs…………………………………………………………………………………….24

7. CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................25

8. ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................27

Annex 1- Questionnaire intended for young people up to 27 years of age ........................27

Annex 2- Plan for semi- structured interview with Focus group composed of young peoplethat were not successful within the Employment Program 2008…………………...................31

Annex 3- Plan for semi- structured interview with Focus group composed of young people– participants in the Employment Program 2008................................................................33

9. APPENDIXES ........................................................................................................................35

APPENDIX 1...............................................................................................................................36

APPENDIX 2...............................................................................................................................38

APPENDIX 3...............................................................................................................................39

APPENDIX 4...............................................................................................................................42

APPENDIX 5...............................................................................................................................44

APPENDIX 6...............................................................................................................................46


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1. SUMMARY

Unemployment in the country is extremely high, including long-term unemployment. There

is a particularly serious problem of youth unemployment. Recent studies showed that, as in the other

countries in the region that emerged from the former Yugoslavia, young people aged 15-27 were

more likely to be unemployed than those in other age groups.

In view of the existing situation, the Government developed both a policy and a strategy,

undertaking a range of activities in the area of employment in order to curb the unemployment,

which activities were laid down in a series of subsequent documents. The Government‘s Operational

Plan on Employment occupies an important place among the envisaged activities. It basically

represents an annual action plan on the allocation of budget funds in the area of active labor market

programs and measures.

Despite these activities and the fact that young people up to 27 years of age were defined as

a separate target group eligible for obtaining support for employment, it was noticed, however,

especially during the implementation of the 2008 Operational Plan self-employment measure, that

young people were underrepresented.

As a result, a series of activities to look into this situation was undertaken in 2009. The

findings of these insights (analysis of the information from the field) indicate that young people apply

insufficiently for participation in the employment programs, the reason being lack of sufficient

information. More specifically, they opined that more information and counseling were needed, that

they should be informed about the goals, the model and the way in which they should apply, and

that their activities should be tracked until the completion of the cycle.

On the other hand, interviews with the successful applicants revealed, which was also the

case with the rest of the respondents, a high proportion of positive experience and positive

reputation associated with these activities. This is, primarily, a result of the efforts of all stakeholders

involved in the implementation of these governmental programs.

In general, it can be argued that these efforts by the Government are considered as a good

foundation for solving the unemployment issue, especially of young people; having said that, finding

or putting the emphasis on the most suitable ways of informing young people is something that

should receive more attention in the coming period. A significant amount of the job with regard to

improving the way of informing young people has already been done during the implementation of

the Operational Plan for 2009, independently from this Analysis, which resulted in an increased

participation by young people. This Analysis points to the necessity of continuing with these efforts

and indicates opportunities for making improvements.


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2. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

MLSP - Ministry of Labor and Social Policy

ESA - Employment Service Agency

MES - Ministry of Education and Science

VETC - Vocational Education and Training Center

APE - Agency for Promotion of Entrepreneurship

UNDP - United Nations Development Program

ALMM - Active Labor Market Measures

OP - Operational Plan

OEP - Operational Employment Program

SVE - Secondary Vocational Education

RIC - Roma Information Center


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3. THE PURPOSE OF THE ANALYSIS

It has been the third year since UNDP actively participates in the realization of projects,

which provide technical assistance and support to the implementation of the annually planned active

labor market measures aimed at reducing the unemployment rate in the country. Based on the

experiences gained in the course of the implementation of the project1 in 2008, a weak participation

of the young people up to 27 years of age was registered, despite the fact that the 2008 Operational

Plan2 singled out the young people as a separate target group under the self-employment measure.

These findings were supported by the data obtained during the course of implementation of

the measures of Self-Employment and Formalization of Existing Businesses, especially in 2008.

Namely, the 2008 Operational Plan envisaged support for 250 young people up to 27 years of age as

one of the target groups in the aforementioned document, out of the 500 individuals that were to be

supported under the self-employment measure. Out of the possible 250 slots, only 122 individuals

from this target group applied for participation in this measure, and only 803 (32%) were supported

with funds earmarked within the OP for 2008.

Taking as a starting point this low response by the young people regarding their participation

in measures intended for finding an employment for them, the need for a detailed analysis aimed at

determining the reasons for this low response emerged, bearing in mind the labor market situation

and the youth unemployment rates in the country. Notably, according to Employment Service

Agency data, the situation as of December 31st 2008 was that 30.8% of the registered unemployed

people were waiting for an employment for 8 or more years. Young unemployed people aged 15-29

make up 27.7% of the total number of registered unemployed people in the country.

In that context, UNDP conducted an Analysis - in cooperation with the ESA - aimed at

determining the reasons leading to the low response by the young unemployed people up to 27

years of age, and the findings of this Analysis should be used when defining active employment

measures in the coming years.

1 “Self-employment II and Technical Assistance to Support the Government Operational Plan for ALMMs for2008”2 http://mtsp.gov.mk/default-mk.asp?ItemID=BD66FCC3A7FBCB47AB9150CBFECD2C963 An additional number of applicants were supported in 2008. Out of the initially planned 500 for the targetgroup of young people up to 27 years of age, only 74 received support. The number 80 is obtained from theadditional applicants.

http://mtsp.gov.mk/default-mk.asp?ItemID=BD66FCC3A7FBCB47AB9150CBFECD2C96


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4. RESEARCH METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

From a methodological point of view, the objective of this Analysis is to determine the

reasons leading to (non)participation of young people up to 27 years of age in the Government-

designed employment programs targeting this particular population group.

The Analysis will make an effort to establish links between the information/ awareness of the

young people about the existence (availability) of such programs and their motivation to participate

therein. At the same time, the Analysis will try to provide an explanation of the reasons leading to

the (lack of) success in the application process. This particularly applies to those young people up to

27 years of age that applied for participation in such governmental programs in the previous year

(2008).

This Analysis was derived from a combined research strategy (quantitative and qualitative

one). From among the quantitative methodological procedures for data collection, a survey involving

a questionnaire was used for the group of young people up to 27 yeas of age who failed to apply in

the past years for any of the active labor market measures or programs of the Government. A

questionnaire was developed for this purpose (see Annex 1), consisting of three groups of questions:

(i) general questions related to the socio-demographic characteristics of the young people up to 27

years of age; (ii) the second group of questions related to the information/awareness of the young

people up to 27 years of age about the existence of governmental employment programs; and (iii)

the third group of questions touched upon other indicators presenting the young people’s attitudes

towards the employment programs.

Pilot test of the questionnaires was conducted with the Monitoring Coordinators working as

part of the team of the UNDP project “Self-employment III and Technical Assistance to Support the

Government Operational Plan for ALMMs for 2009” in order to adjust questionnaire contents to the

target group. As part of their daily routine, Monitoring Coordinators were in constant communication

with the unemployed candidates, thus they are considered relevant concerning this issue.

Semi-structured interview with focus groups was used from among the qualitative

methodological procedures for data collection. Two different categories of focus groups were

included, as follows:

The first category consisted of people that have applied in the past period4 for some of the

active labor market measures aiming for employment, with UNDP involved in the

implementation as well, who were not successful in completing the envisaged process.

4 For the purposes of this Analysis, 2008 was taken as a reference year because the measure of “Formalizationof existing businesses” did not exist in 2007.


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The second category consisted of people that applied in 2008 for some of the active labor

market measures aiming for employment, with UNDP involved in the implementation as

well, who were successful in completing the envisaged process, which resulted in them

obtaining a grant.

The qualitative procedure includes, inter alia, an analysis of the semi–structured interviews

conducted with both categories of focus groups. In order to ensure uniformity of the approach and of

the course of the interviews with both focus groups, two distinct plans for conducting these

interviews were developed. One of the plans pertains to those young people that were successful

under the employment program for 2008 (see Annex 2), while the other plan relates to those that

weren’t successful under the same program (see Annex 3). Plans for both categories of focus groups

include three groups of questions: the first group refers to the access to information for the young

people up to 27 years of age; the second group of questions refers to the young people’s opinions

about the relevance of such programs, with the purpose of this group of questions being to

determine the reasons leading to (de)motivation of the young people; the third group of questions

refers to other elements expressing young people’s opinions/positions on the positive and/or

negative aspects of their participation in such type of employment programs.

5. ANALYSIS SAMPLE

5.1. Sample for the quantitative methodological procedure

The sample for the quantitative methodological procedure was determined based on the

situation with the total number of unemployed people as at 30 April 2009, distributed across the 30

local employment centers falling under the Employment Service Agency (see Appendix 1). Based on

the number of young unemployed people from among the target population, the first 6 local

employment centers with highest registered numbers of youth (up to 27 years of age)

unemployment were selected. It must be stressed, however, that the age group of the unemployed

from among the target population has increased to 29 years, which is primarily due to the

distribution of age groups established by the Employment Service Agency.

This gave birth to projections that the proportion of youth up to 27 years of age in the total

population involved in the survey will be higher than the initially projected one. In the

aforementioned 6 employment centers, from among the total number of unemployed persons (now

up to 29 years of age), a survey would be conducted with 0.5% of the total number of young people

up to 27 years of age, which meant around 300 respondents on average. Through its Monitoring

Coordinators, UNDP would distribute the questionnaires to those 6 employment centers, following

which the staff in the centers would invite the young people from among the target population to

come to the Job Clubs to fill in the questionnaires.


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5.2. Sample for the qualitative methodological procedure

Concerning the qualitative methodological procedure, as stated above, 2 categories of focus groups

were established: a focus group with young people that were not successful while applying for the

2008 Employment Programs, and a focus group with young people that were successful while

applying for the same employment programs.

5.2.1. Sample for the focus group of young people that were not successful whileapplying for the 2008 Employment Programs

As regards how the sample for this focus group was formed, the total number of

unemployed candidates up to 27 years of age that applied to participate in any of the measures in

2008 was obtained from the database developed by UNDP aimed to serve the needs of all 2008

Employment Program implementing partners, including all target groups defined in the 2008 OP,

following which the number of successful candidates that received the funds envisaged with the

measures in 2008 (thus entered employment) was subtracted from the former number. From among

the unsuccessful candidates, following the regional division of the country into 8 regions5, a sample

of 10% of unemployed people was selected (see Appendix 2), or a total of 16 candidates (2 from each

region). This number of unsuccessful candidates was distributed into 2 focus groups. Candidates

were randomly identified from the 2008 database, paying attention to having adequate

representation in terms of gender, ethnicity and place of living (rural and urban areas).

5.2.2. Sample for the focus group of young people that were successful while applying forthe 2008 Employment Programs

As for the formation of the sample for this focus group, the total number of unemployed

candidates up to 27 years of age that applied to participate in any of the measures in 2008 and were

successful and received funds envisaged with the measures in 2008 (thus entered employment) was

obtained from the database developed by UNDP aimed to serve the needs of all 2008 Employment

Program implementing partners. From among the successful candidates within the target group of

unemployed youth up to 27 years of age defined in the 2008 Operational Plan, and given the regional

division of the country into 8 regions, a sample of 20% was selected (see Appendix 4), or a total of 16

candidates (2 from each region). This number of successful candidates was distributed into 2 focus

groups. The individuals were randomly identified from the 2008 database, paying attention to having

adequate representation in terms of gender, ethnicity and place of living (rural and urban areas).

5 Source: State Statistical Office


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6. FINDINGS OF THE ANALYSIS

6.1 Findings of the questionnaire intended for young people up to 27years of age

For the purposes of an easier tracking of the findings and results of the questionnaires

completed by the young people up to 27 years of age who have not participated in any governmental

employment programs before, they will be presented according to the division made in the

questionnaire itself. Namely, the questionnaire consists of three groups of questions:

(1) general questions related to the socio-demographic characteristics of the young people

up to 27 years of age;

(2) questions related to the information/awareness of the young people up to 27 years of

age about the existence of governmental employment programs; and

(3) questions relating to other indicators presenting the young people’s attitudes towards

the employment programs.

General questions related to the socio-demographic characteristics of the youngpeople up to 27 years of age

From the aspect of gender breakdown of the unemployed persons that participated in completingthe questionnaire of this Analysis in the pre-determined 6 employment centers (see Appendix 1 orChapter 5.1), the majority of the answers were obtained from female respondents - 129 (44%);however, the number of unanswered questionnaires concerning this group of questions - 56 or 19% -came as a surprise, which can be a subject of another, more detailed analysis.

Table 1. Respondents breakdown by gender

City Bitola Kumanovo Prilep Skopje Strumica Tetovo TotalQuestion No. of

answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

Gender

Male 10 16 15 33 12 22 108Female 17 19 17 42 17 17 129

No answer 0 11 2 30 3 10 56

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

The following table (Table 2) gives an overview of the age groups, as per the age groupclassification established by the Employment Service Agency, which fall under the target group i.e.young people up to 27 years of age. It can be noticed that the majority of the respondents whocompleted the questionnaire were aged 25-29 (46%), whereas the proportion of young people aged15-19 was only 10%, which is primarily due to the fact that young people of this age were stillattending secondary school or have just graduated from it, given the fact that secondary education inthe country is mandatory.


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Table 2. Respondents breakdown by age groups within the target group

City Bitola Kumanovo Prilep Skopje Strumica Tetovo TotalQuestion/ No. of

answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. of answ. No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

Age

15- 19 2 2 5 13 4 4 3020- 24 24 14 12 33 19 15 11725- 29 1 29 17 52 7 30 136

No answer 0 1 0 7 2 0 10

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

From ethnicity point of view, attempt was made to have all largest ethnic groups in thecountry represented, with more than half of the respondents (60%) being Macedonian, thenAlbanians (20%), Roma (10%) etc. (Table 3). Regarding the place of living, the majority of therespondents (75%) came from urban areas in the country (Table 4).

Table 3. Respondents breakdown by ethnicity


answ.No. ofansw.

No. of answ. No. of answ. No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

Ethnicity

Macedonian 22 23 28 51 32 21 177Turk 1 0 1 4 0 1 7Roma 3 4 3 17 0 2 29Bosnian 0 0 0 6 0 0 6Albanian 1 13 2 19 0 23 58Serb 0 6 0 2 0 2 10Vlach 0 0 0 1 0 0 1Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

No answer 0 0 0 5 0 0 5

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

Table 4. Respondents breakdown by place of living


answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.


No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

Place of living

Rural 1 13 6 19 15 16 70Urban 26 32 28 84 17 33 220

No answer 0 1 0 2 0 0 3

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293


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Regarding the level of completed education, the majority of the respondents have graduatedfrom a secondary vocational school - 33.4% (see Table 5), which corresponds to the total number ofunemployed with a secondary vocational school degree in the records of unemployed population.6

Table 5. Respondents breakdown by the level of completed education


answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.


No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

Level of completed education

Primaryeducation 4 14 4 43 0 8 73Secondarygeneral school 1 4 5 9 2 12 33

Secondaryvocational school 7 12 13 24 21 21 98Post-secondaryeducation 3 4 2 3 0 0 12

Higher education10 11 10 25 9 7 72

Master’s orhigher degree 2 0 0 0 0 0 2Other 0 1 0 0 0 1 2

No answer 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

As regards the extent to which the respondents live independently (i.e. the question whomthe respondent lives with), the majority of them (70.3%) were still living with their parents. This pieceof information should not come as a surprise given the fact that a traditional family in the countryincludes members of different generations, as well as the fact that many young people tend to livewith their parents regardless of whether they have a family of their own or not (Table 6).

6 Source: Employment Service Agency – Review of unemployed persons by level of education – situation asof 31st December 2008, and Review of unemployed persons by level of education – situation as of 31stDecember 2009 (http://www.avrm.gov.mk/?ItemID=91B1C6E62BD0384DA6CAAAD42F3F2FB5), where inboth years the share of the persons with secondary vocational school degree was around 24% from the totalnumber of unemployed population, which makes it the second largest group following the persons withoutany qualifications or those with/without completed primary education.

http://www.avrm.gov.mk/?ItemID=91B1C6E62BD0384DA6CAAAD42F3F2FB5),


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Table 6. Respondents breakdown by their degree of independence


answ.No. of answ. No. of answ. No. of

answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

The respondent is living:

With his/herparents 21 31 20 74 25 35 206Independently 1 10 5 17 1 3 37

Has a family ofhis/her own 5 5 9 14 6 11 50

No answer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

Concerning the question about the family income, the majority of the respondents had lowor no income (60% or 177 answers). This finding matches the proportion of poverty7 in the countrythat amounted to 28.7% in 2008, i.e. matches the piece of information that poverty rate among theunemployed was 38.4%, and that 43% of all poor people in the country were unemployed. If this isbroken down further, the most vulnerable groups seem to be the multiple member households,bearing in mind the fact that 57.7% of the poor live in households with multiple members, whichconfirms the data of Table 6.

Table 7. Respondents breakdown by family income



answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

Size of the family income

Low income – up to10.000 MKD 8 21 20 70 21 30 170

Average income–up to 20.000 MKD 18 20 10 26 9 15 98High income - over30.000 MKD 0 3 2 3 1 2 11No answer 1 0 2 3 1 0 7

No income at all 0 2 0 3 0 2 7

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

Questions related to the information/awareness of the young people up to 27 years of ageabout the existence of governmental employment programs

In this section of the questionnaire, respondents gave answers concerning theirinformation/awareness about the existence of employment programs, about their wish and interestin participating in such programs, as well as about the reasons leading to them being interested or

7 Source: State Statistical Office (http://www.stat.gov.mk/statistiki.asp?ss=08.01&rbs=8)

http://www.stat.gov.mk/statistiki.asp?ss=08.01&rbs=8


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not in the programs. Since this section lies in the heart of the Analysis, especially the aspect of theyouth awareness/information about the programs that may lead to their eventual participation insuch programs, cross analyses of the obtained data were made and the findings are presentedbelow.

Regarding the information/awareness aspect, the majority of the respondents replied thatthey were not informed about the existence of governmental employment programs – 58% (Table8).

Table 8. Respondents breakdown by their information/awareness about the programs


answ.No. ofansw.


No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

Were you informed about the existence of governmental employment programs intended for young peopleup to 27 years of age?

No 13 13 29 64 12 38 169Yes 14 30 5 37 19 11 116

No answer 0 3 0 4 1 0 8

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

Data in Table 8 are not in line with the data in Table 9. Although 169 of the respondents saidthey were not informed about the existence of governmental employment programs, only 88 failedto answer the following question which referred to the manner in which the respondents becameinformed of these programs. With regard to this question, account should be taken of the fact thathere the respondents were able to give more than 1 answer, thus the number of answers becamesomewhat higher than the actual number of respondents8.

If one was to group the answers into several main categories, it seems that the majority ofthe respondents (as many as 139 or 39.6%) found out about these programs through media(newspaper, TV, Internet), followed by those who became informed through the Employment ServiceAgency activities (83 answers – 23.64%), and at the end are those who became informed otherwise(friends, private employment agencies, RIC) – around 10.54 % (Table 9).

Table 9. Respondents breakdown by the manner in which they were informed


answ.No. of answ.No. of answ.No. of

answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

If you are informed, how were you informed?

I saw advertisements indaily newspapers 7 3 11 27 2 9 59

I saw advertisements onTV 7 4 7 24 4 12 58

8 Within the Analysis, 293 persons answered the questionnaire, and with this particular question that offersthe possibility to give more than 1 answer - that number is 351.


15

I saw on the website ofthe Employment ServiceAgency 3 1 2 7 5 4 22

I saw on theannouncement board inthe Employment Centre

2 1 9 3 1 16 32

Employment Centre staffinformed me

6 11 5 3 2 13 40

Job Club staff told me1 1 2 0 0 7 11

I was told at the privateemployment agency 1 1 1 2 2 4 11I heard from friends/relatives 2 2 2 12 4 4 26

Some other way –RomaInformation Center 1 0 0 0 0 0 1Some other way –nobodyinformed me 0 1 0 0 0 0 1Some other way –lookingfor it myself/ individually 0 0 0 0 0 2 2No answer 8 22 4 36 12 6 88

Total 38 47 43 114 32 77 351

Tables below (10, 11 and 12) provide an insight into the external factors that could impactthe respondents’ level of interest in participating in the programs, as well as impact the interestitself. Namely, Table 11 shows that the proportion of those who know someone who had alreadyparticipated in such employment program is not low - around 35%, plus the fact that as many as 41%of the previous participants’ reactions were positive.

Table 12 provides interesting data as well, showing that about 61% of the respondents saidthey were considering the possibility to participate at some future time.

Table 10. Respondents breakdown



answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. of answ.

Do you know someone that has previously participated in such Employment Program?

Yes 6 9 20 34 5 28 102No 21 36 14 70 24 20 185No answer 0 1 0 1 3 1 6

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293


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City Bitola Kumanovo Prilep Skopje Strumica Tetovo TotalQuestion/ No. of answ. No. of answ. No. of

answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. of answ. No. of answ.

If your answer to the previous question is positive, what kind of reactions did you get?

Positive 4 12 21 46 8 28 119Negative 8 12 0 23 6 7 56No answer 15 22 13 36 18 14 118

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293




answ.No. ofansw.

No. ofansw.

No. of answ.

5. Have you considered the possibility of taking part in such type of programs?

Yes 17 21 21 67 17 35 178No 10 20 13 30 11 14 98

No answer 0 5 0 8 4 0 17

Total 27 46 34 105 32 49 293

Regarding the questions related to the reasons for the possible (non)participation in thegovernmental employment programs, the majority of the respondents replied that they would do itimmediately once the right conditions had been created, i.e. when the next program came, but afterthey had become well familiar with the conditions offered by the program.

The young people up to 27 years of age indicated the following as the most common reasonsleading to a lack of interest in participating in such programs: mistrust in the program itself, lack oftransparency, lack of information, age, etc. A more detailed overview of the answers obtained tothese open questions can be seen in Appendix 5 (reasons for possible participation) and Appendix 6(reasons for possible non-participation).

Starting from the assumption that being informed is one of the preconditions forparticipating in a program, additional efforts were made in order to ascertain the information-relatedtrends broken down by age, ethnicity, place of living and the level of education. It was found that themajority of the female population became informed via the television medium, whereas the malepopulation found out about the programs through print media i.e. newspapers (Figure 1). However,one should not neglect the fact that the majority of the male population became informed throughthe bodies of the Employment Service Agency.


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Figure 1- Breakdown by gender regarding the way of becoming informed

Regarding how the different ethnicity members were informed, the high proportion of thosewho failed to give an answer came as a surprise. Based on the answers obtained, it can be noticedthat the majority of the Macedonians became informed of these programs through print media, theRoma through the electronic media i.e. television, whereas the rest – Albanians, Serbs etc. – wereinformed through the bodies of the Employment Service Agency.

Breakdown by gender

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

M

F

M 32 24 13 15 25 6 4 18 4 47

F 27 34 9 17 15 5 7 8 0 41

Newspaper TV

Internet

of the ESA

Announcement

board of EC

EC staff informed me

Job Club stafftold me

Privateemployment

Agency told me

Friends

/relatives

RIC/Nobody

Informed me

No answer


18

Figure 2- Breakdown by ethnicity regarding the way of becoming informed

As for the place of living, respondents from urban areas became informed through media(television, newspapers) most of the time, with the number of those who found out about thisthrough the Employment Service Agency not being low either. The situation with the respondentsfrom rural areas is similar in that the majority of them became informed through the media.

Breakdown by ethnicity

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

MacedonianTurk

RomaAlbanianSerbVlach

Bosnian

Macedonian 39 36 13 18 16 7 7 14 1 53

Turk 1 1 2 1 2

Roma 2 9 1 2 3 2 7 1 7

Albanian 15 13 5 11 16 4 2 4 2 18

Serb 1 2 3 4

Vlach 1

Bosnian 1 4

N Newspaper TV Websiteof the ESA

Announce- ment board of EC

EC staff

told me

Job Clubstaff told me

Privatee employment

agencyFriends/relatives

RIC/Nobody informed me No answer


19

Figure 3- Breakdown by location regarding the way of becoming informed

Regarding the educational levels, as presented in Figure 4, it can be noticed that individualswith only primary education degree were for the most part informed through the announcements onTV; those with general and vocational secondary school degree through newspapers, which alsoapplies to individuals with a higher education degree; individuals with a postsecondary school degreewere informed through the bodies of the Employment Service Agency.

Breakdown by location

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

urbanrural

urban 46 45 15 22 30 7 10 21 3 64

rural 13 13 7 10 10 4 1 5 1 24

NewspaperTV

Website ofthe ESA

Announcement board of EC

EC stafftold me

Job Club stafftold me

Privateemploymentagency

Friends /relatives

RIC / nobodyInformed me No answer


20

Figure 4- Breakdown by educational level regarding the way of becoming informed

It was interesting to review the data related to family income and the interest inparticipating in an employment program. The finding was that individuals who said their income fellunder the category of “low income - up to 10.000 MKD“ were those who considered the most thepossibility of participating in the employment programs. This should be no surprise, especially in viewof these individuals’ comments about the reasons why they would do it; the majority of them saidthat they saw this as a source of income enabling them to enter some kind of employment thus beingable to earn their living.

Breakdown by educational level

Primary education

Secondary generalschool

Secondary vocationalschool

Postsecondaryeducation

Highereducation

Master’s or higherdegree

Primary education only 10 17 5 4 10 1 3 9 1 28

General secondary school 11 9 2 3 6 3 1 0 0 11

Vocational secondary school 19 14 6 13 14 4 3 12 3 30

Post-secondary education 2 2 1 1 3 0 1 1 0 3

Higher education 17 16 8 11 7 3 3 4 0 14

Master’s or higher degree 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Newspaper TVWebsiteof theESA

Announce-mentboard of EC

EC stafftold me

Job Clubstaff toldme

Privateemploymentagency

Friends / /relatives

RIC /NobodyInformedme

Noanswer


21

Figure 5 – Respondents breakdown by income and interest in participating in employment programsregarding the way of becoming informed

Questions related to other indicators presenting the young people’s attitudes about theemployment programs

Regarding the respondents’ opinion on the positive and negative aspects of this type ofemployment programs, the majority of them replied that good things about these programs werethat “Such type of programs offer employment to young people“, that “Grants can be received“, andthe fact that “Funds received trough such type of Programs, as additional sources, could lead torealization of ideas“.

Contrary to the above, the respondents indicated as negative aspects the amount of fundswhich some consider insufficient for starting up one’s own business, the opinion that such type ofprograms offer only short term solution to the unemployment problem, and the fact that theconditions in the economy are not so much favorable for starting up a business and for realization ofideas. A more detailed overview of the breakdown of the answers is given in Table 13.

It can be inferred from Table 13 that the respondents recognized more positive aspects ofthe employment programs (633 answers given to the options offered) than negative ones (494answers).

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Income level

5. Have you consideredthe possibility of takingpart in such a program?

Yes

5. Have you consideredthe possibility of takingpart in such a program?

No5. Have you considered thepossibility of taking part insuch a program? Yes

111 60 6 7

5. Have you considered thepossibility of taking part insuch a program? No

59 38 5 7

Low income up to 10.000

Averageup to

20.000

High incomeabove

30.000

No answer


CityBitola Kumanovo Prilep Skopje Strumica Tetovo Total

Question/ CategoryNumberofanswers

Numberofanswers

Numberofanswers

Numberofanswers

Numberofanswers

Numberofanswers

Number ofanswers

Such type of programs offeremployment to young people.

20 19 28 56 18 30 171

Grants can be received. 6 15 29 8 15 31 104

The amount of the grants issufficient for starting up one’sown business.

5 9 12 4 8 6 44

Such programs enablegaining/extending theentrepreneurship skills.

10 11 18 14 8 19 80

Practical knowledge about themarket and the functioningthereof is gained.

12 9 21 16 11 17 86

Such programs enablepurchase of neededequipment/materials forstarting up a business.

8 10 16 7 7 13 61

Funds received trough suchtype of Programs, as additionalsources, could lead torealization of ideas.

15 13 23 10 9 17 87

Total 76 86 147 115 76 133 633

PositiveIn your opinion,

what are thepositive and

negative aspectsof this type ofEmploymentPrograms?


23

Information about such type ofprograms is not always

available to young people.10 16 5 13 3 8 55

Conditions under which fundsare offered are not favorable in

my opinion.10 15 3 4 2 7 41

The amount of funds isinsufficient for starting up

one’s own business.17 17 22 10 11 28 105

Such programs do not offerany previous knowledge

related to running a business.11 16 11 4 5 8 55

There are no bodies/counseling services offering

advices, guidelines, assistanceabout how to run a business.

10 17 11 9 6 11 64

Such type of programs offeronly short-term solution to the

unemployment problem.16 27 13 10 7 19 92

Conditions in the economy arenot so much favorable for

starting up a business and forrealization of ideas.

14 17 15 7 6 23 82

NegativeIn your opinion,

what are thepositive and

negative aspectsof this type ofEmploymentPrograms?

Total 88 125 80 57 40 104 494

6.2 Findings of the focus groups of young people that were not successfulwhile applying for the 2008 employment programs

In line with the envisaged and approved procedure for carrying out this analysis, interviewswith focus groups were organized by randomly inviting candidates from the database of the projectthat was involved in the implementation of the self-employment measure in 2008, which was anintegral part of the governmental employment programs. It is in this context that interviews with theinvited respondents were conducted, and the findings of these interviews are provided below.

Regarding the way of informing oneself about employment opportunities, the candidatesreport regularly to the Employment Centers, but they also use the services of private employmentagencies to a lesser extent. However, when it comes to finding a job (temporary or permanent), theymostly rely on direct contacts and recommendations (by friends, acquaintances). “I mostly rel onrecommendations by friends because they know me, they know what I have done before and whichqualities I have” .9

When it comes to becoming informed about the self-employment measure, the participantsindicated that information is mainly obtained through conversation with the staff in the EmploymentCenters, as well as through the announcements posted on the announcement boards in the centers.Because of their low revenues, the candidates are unable to buy newspapers on a regular basis, butthey keep themselves informed through electronic media, primarily TV, and especially the Internet.Of great importance, if not the most important/the most relevant manner of becoming informed wassaid to be the one through friends that have been beneficiaries of the measure in the past, who aregenerally satisfied with the manner of implementing the measure and with the effects thereof.

Reasons leading to giving up or not joining the program include, primarily, lack of feedbackonce the candidate has applied for a program, redirecting the candidates to use other supportprograms (e.g. crediting), and/or finding a job in the meantime which implies candidate’s voluntarywithdrawal from the program. A particular case that can be exposed is candidates’ withdrawals (afterjoining the program) due to insufficient information about the contents of the program.10

Despite failing to join the measure, the participants expressed a great interest in it andwillingness to apply again at the next calls. In small towns and rural areas, the self-employmentmeasure is considered to be the only possibility for opening one’s own business, thus for enteringemployment. The initial assistance received is very important for those who enter employment/opentheir own business for the first time, since unless this assistance was there, the candidates wouldhave been unable to start their own business or they would have done it much later.

The participants pointed to the importance not only of the funds for starting a business, butalso of the support provided to them in defining a business idea and in developing businessplans.”...It was important to me that my vision and calculations made at home be confirmedregarding their cost-effectiveness and the risks associated with it”`.

6.3 Findings of the focus groups of young people that were successfulwhile applying for the 2008 employment programs

When it comes to becoming informed about opportunities for employment and forbenefiting from the self-employment measure, the findings are the same as with the group of

9 Citations are taken from the interviews with the focus groups.10 The candidate wanted to buy livestock (sheep and bees), but the measure does not support that.


25

candidates that were not successful when applying for the measure (see paragraph 6.2). This focusgroup pointed to the aspects that needed to be improved during the course of implementation ofthe program in order for it to be more successful for the youth as a target group. Theseconsiderations are presented below.

These participants also pointed to the importance of verbal recommendations by friends oracquaintances concerning the measure (prior to applying), as well as to the very important role ofthe Employment Centers’ staff during the application process in terms of giving advice and directionswhen filling in the application form.

In the opinion of these candidates, the funds received are sufficient when openingbusinesses that are not capital-intensive (accounting, legal or other types of services). In addition,this focus group indicated the importance of these funds for businesses requiring a large initialcapital as well, because in this way the funds to be invested by the founder are reduced and/orredirected to operating costs.

They also pointed to the need for striking a better balance between the different segmentsof the process in the context of application phase duration, training events duration, and businessregistration. Namely, the candidates indicated that the cycle starting from the application and endingwith the receipt of funds was too long. On the other hand, the segment dedicated to strengtheningthe participants’ capacities to define the business idea and actually run the business (the training“From idea to business” and on business plan development) was evaluated as insufficient and theparticipants pointed to the need for expanding it. “... I should for the first time in my life beaccountable before the State and that’s why I need to be as prepared as possible because this is not agame...”

Additional support is needed regarding business registration in terms of information aboutthe required documents; businesses that are already registered could be assisted with additionalsupport in the form of advice and/or money. The latter would be used for further development ofthe business.

It can be concluded from the above that the respondents pointed to the need for expandingthe existing businesses (through additional employments, expanding the business activity, etc.). Thiswould be done sooner if these businesses were given an additional incentive. The participants gave apositive answer to the question as to whether the business would grow even without the support,but it would take longer (after one or two years) “ ..it takes time for a business to start operatingsmoothly, and a minimum of two years to start thinking about expanding it, but if we have the grantthis time becomes significantly shorter “.

7. CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In general, it can be argued that insufficient information held by the target group – youngpeople up to 27 years of age – is the main reason for their (non)participation in the employmentprograms. Findings of the Analysis show that the design of the programs and the implementationmethod are appropriate and suit the target group needs.


26

Employment Centers’ staff are important regarding the provision of information before andafter the application process. “There is a need to organize informative sessions with the potentialcandidates prior to the application in order for them to get to know the measure in greater detail,thus defining the idea on time, before the application.”

It is advisable that the candidates be provided feedback also in writing about the reasonswhy their application was not accepted. This feedback would significantly contribute to havingimproved applications at a future call and/or to candidates submitting better quality applications atfuture calls, which will be a result of the feedback.

Despite the fact that information on the measures was posted on the announcement boardsin the Employment Centers, this target group did not find the announcements very useful andpractical for obtaining new information. “...We have no habit of reading announcements..” Theannouncement was noticed by the applicants only after they were referred to it by the staff in theEmployment Centers.

Information should be written in a simple and easy to understand language. “Informationshould indicate what is being offered and what is the benefit from the measure for the young people”.

It is advisable to use electronic media as a means of informing the young people since this ismore acceptable for the young generations, especially the use of Internet and the placement of theannouncements (their links) on websites that are popular with and visited by this population group.

Since this measure has a very positive reputation, it should be used in such a way thatpotential applicants would learn from the experience of successful beneficiaries. This would beaccomplished by organizing sessions in which the measure would be explained during training eventsand/or at individual level.

If the program design allows for it, the applicants should be grouped according to their ageor similarity of business, the aim being the exchange of positive ideas and practices during thetraining events.

The efficiency of the implementation of the whole cycle should be improved by striking abetter balance between the duration of the overall cycle and the time dedicated to training.

One positively evaluated the situation that no financial means were given, but insteadresources were given in the form of purposeful support, together with the support aimed atstrengthening the capacity of the applicants for running their business.


27

8. ANNEXES

Annex 1Questionnaire intended for young people up to 27 years of age

Questionnaire

Introduction

Unemployment in the country is extremely high, including long-term unemployment being

significantly high. There is a particularly serious problem of youth unemployment. Recent studies

showed that, as in the other countries in the region that emerged from Yugoslavia, young people

aged 15-27 are more likely to be unemployed than those in other age groups.

In overall terms, labor market is stagnant with limited opportunities for new entrants. The economy

is characterized with low job creation and generation of new job places.

Considering the existing situation, the Government developed policy and strategy, undertaking series

of activities in the area of employment in order to mitigate the unemployment, which are regulated

with consequential documents. The Government ‘s Operational Plan for Employment is one of the

stated documents, representing annual action plan for distribution of budget funds in the part of

active labor market programs and measures.

In the context of the Government Operational Plan implementation, as well as utilization of available

allocated budget funds, a low level of interest has been detect among the young people up to 27

years of age, despite the fact that part of the envisaged activities in the above stated document refer

to the young people. Considering this phenomenon initiative was made to conduct an Analysis that

should determine weaknesses leading to such situation, or to examine those positive sides that in

future should be even more strengthened.

Your answers to the given questions, will contribute in great extend to receiving one real

presentation of the conditions on the terrain, and at the same time will enable additional

improvements within the activities planned by the Government, especially those referring to the

young people.

NOTICE: The questionnaire is anonymous


28

GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. Gender (Please circle): male/ female

2. Age (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box):

15- 19 20- 24 25- 293. Ethnicity (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box):

Macedonian Albanian

Turk Serb

Roma Vlah

Boshnak Other: ______________

4. Place of living (Add your answer)

Village/ Town_________________________, Municipality_______________________

5. Education (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box)

Completed primary education Gymnasium

Secondary Vocational Education High education

University M.A or higher

Other____________________________________________________________

6. Type of education (Please follow the example: primary school, language gymnasium, electro-

mechanical technician, nurse, faculty of economy, faculty of architecture)

__________________________________________________________

7. Person lives with (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box)

a. parents

b. alone

c. own family

8. Family income: (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box)

- Low up to 10.000 D

- Average up to 20.000 D

- High above 30.000 D


29

QUESTIONS ABOUT CANDIDATES INFORMATION/AWARENESS

1. Are you informed about the Government employment Programs, hat are designed foryoung people up to 27 years of age? (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box)

Yes No

2. If you are informed, how were you informed? (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box)

I saw advertisements in the daily newspapers ...................................................................

I saw advertisements on the TV..........................................................................................

I saw on the web page of the Employment Service Agency ...............................................

I saw on the announcement boards in the Employment Centre .........................................

Employment Centre staff informed me...............................................................................

Job Club staff told me .........................................................................................................

I was told at the private employment agency.....................................................................

I heard from friends/ relatives ..........................................................................................

Some other way (Explain)_____________________________________

3. Do you know someone that has previously participated in such Employment Program?(Please answer inserting X in the relevant box)

Yes No

4. If your answer on the previous question is positive, what are your reactions upon that?(Please answer inserting X in the relevant box)

positive negative

5. Have you considered taking participation in such type of program? (Please answer insertingX in the relevant box)

Yes No

6. If your answer on the previous question is positive, what are the reasons behind suchdecision? (Explain)_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. If your answers to the question No. 5 is negative, can you please state the reasons behindsuch decision?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


30

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

1. In your opinion, what are the positive and what are the negative sides of this type ofEmployment Programs? (Please answer inserting X in the relevant box. More answers arepossible)

Positive Negative

Such type of programs offer employment to theyoung people

Information about such type of programs arenot always available to young people

Grants can be received Conditions under which funds are offered in myopinion are not favorable

Amount of the grants is sufficient for starting upown business

Amount of funds is not sufficient for starting upown business

Such programs enable gaining/ incising theentrepreneurship skills

Such programs do not offer some previousknowledge related to running a business

Practical knowledge on the functioning of themarket is gained

There are no bodies/ counseling servicesoffering advices, guidelines, assistance abouthow to run a business

Such programs enable purchase of neededequipment/ materials for string up a business

Such type of program offer only short termsolution of the unemployment problem

Funds received trough such type of Programs ,as additional sources, could lead to realizationof ideas

Conditions in the economy are not so muchfavorable for staring up a business andrealization of ideas

In case you have some additional comments or suggestion, Please provide them below:

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

THANK YOU FOR THE TIME YOU DEVOTED IN FILLING OUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE


31

Annex 2Plan for semi- structured interview with Focus group composed of young people thatwere not successful within the Employment Program 2008

Plan for semi- structured interview withFocus group composed of young people that were not successful within the

Employment Program 2008

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

1. How often to you buy daily newspapers?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

2. How often do you read vacancy announcements in the daily newspapers?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

3. How often do you watch vacancy announcements on TV?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

4. How often do you visit Employment Service Agency web page?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

5. How often do you stop and look at the vacancy announcements on the Employmentcenters’ boards?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

6. Have you been registered in some private employment agency?

7. If your answer is positive, do they, at private employment agency, inform you about suchEmployment Programs?

8. Does anyone else provide you with information about such type of employmentPrograms? And if Yes- Who?

EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM RELEVANCE

1. Based on your participation in the Governmental Employment Programs for 2008, inyour opinion, what are the reasons for your achieved result within the same?

2. Did you face obstacles in the Program implementation process resulting with yourachieved result and which are they?

3. Have you ever participated in some Employment program, implemented by someoneelse? YES/NO

4. If your answer is positive, what is the program title and who implemented it?


32

5. In your opinion, what are the advantages of this type of programs?

6. In your opinion, what are the problems and obstacles within this type of programs?

7. Would you consider possibility of participating in some other Governmental EmploymentProgram?

8. Can you provide explanation of your answer?

PARTICIPANTS’ OPINION ABOUT EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

1. Do you think that such programs assist young people in solving their problem with theunemployment?

2. Can you explain your attitude?

3. On a scale of 1- 5, in your opinion, to what extend Employment program assist youngpeople

In solving their problem with the unemployment___

In realization of ideas for staring up own business ____

In gaining practical knowledge about the manner in which market functions____

Other (Please indicate)____

4. Can you think and list all positive aspect related to your possible participation in someEmployment Program?

5. Can you think and list all negative aspect related to your possible participation in someEmployment Program?

6. What would you do differently in regard to the Employment Programs which areavailable to the young people?


33

Annex 3Plan for semi- structured interview with Focus group composed of young people –participants in the Employment Program 2008

Plan for semi- structured interview withFocus group composed of young people – participants in the

Employment Program 2008

ACCESS TO INFORMATION CONCERNING SELF-EMPLOYMENT MEASURE, AS WELL AS MEASURE -FORMALIZATION OF

EXISTING BUSINESSES, PART OF THE GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

1. How often to you buy daily newspapers?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

2. How often do you read vacancy announcements in the daily newspapers?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

3. How often do you watch vacancy announcements on TV?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

4. How often do you visit Employment Service Agency web page?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

5. How often do you stop and look at the vacancy announcements on the Employmentcenters’ boards?(on a scale of 1- 5, where 1 is low/ negative and 5 is the high/positive)

6. Have you been registered in some private employment agency?

7. If your answer is positive, do they, at private employment agency, inform you about suchEmployment Programs?

8. Does anyone else provide you with information about such type of employmentPrograms? And if Yes- Who?

EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM RELATION

1. Did you face any problems within the Employment program?

2. If your answer is positive, what was the nature of the problem(s)?

3. Did you ask for assistance/ help in such case?

4. Were you provided with required assistance/ help?

5. Who did provide you with required assistance/ help?


34

6. In your opinion, was that assistance provided in satisfactory manner and did it helpyou?

EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM RELEVANCE

1. Have you ever applied for participation in some Governmental EmploymentProgram? YES/NO

2. Have you ever participated in some Governmental Employment Program? YES/NO

3. Have you ever participated in some Employment program, implemented by someoneelse? YES/NO

4. If your answer is positive, what is the program’s title and who implemented it?

5. In your opinion, what are the advantages of this type of programs?

6. In your opinion, what are the problems and obstacles within this type of programs?

PARTICIPANTS’ OPINION ABOUT EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

1. Do you think that such programs assist young people in solving their problem with theunemployment?

2. Can you explain your attitude?

3. On a scale of 1- 5, in your opinion, to what extend Employment program assist youngpeople

In solving their problem with the unemployment___

In realization of ideas for staring up own business ____

In gaining practical knowledge about the manner in which market functions____

Other (Please indicate)____

4. What did you learn from the Employment Program?

Can you state the positive aspects of that experience?

Are there negative aspects and which are they?

5. What would you do differently in regard to the Employment Programs which are availableto the young people?


35

9. Appendixes


36

Appendix 1

UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE DISTRIBUTED ACCORDING TO THE REGIONS AND EMPLOYMENT CENTERS, PER TARGET AGE GROUPS -30,04,2009

No.Statistical

regionsEmployment

CentreTotal number of

unemployed

Age group

15-19

Age group

20-24

Age group

25-29

Total numberin all 3 target

age groups Comment 0.5%

1 East Berovo 4150 63 422 560 1045

2 Pelagonija Bitola 18889 401 2231 2663 5295 6 place 27

3 South- East Valandovo 2488 67 294 327 688

4 Vardar Veles 14360 333 1840 1913 4086

5 East Vinica 3155 91 369 404 864

6 South- East Gevgelija 3581 111 386 429 926

7 Polog Gostivar 16144 408 2288 2156 4852

8 South- West Debar 3837 140 589 534 1263

9 East Delcevo 4378 85 447 557 1089

10 Pelagonija Demir Hisar 2155 39 237 263 539

11 Vardar Kavadarci 8449 169 1029 1214 2412

12 South- West Kicevo 9194 200 1208 1285 2693

13 East Kocani 9978 215 1049 1173 2437

14 North- East Kratovo 2407 29 286 281 596

15 North- East Kriva Palanka 6444 139 738 796 1673


37

16 Pelagonija Krushevo 2130 44 217 258 519

17 North- East Kuamnovo 29590 652 3866 3964 8482 3 place 43

18 South- WestMakedonski

Brod 2647 99 405 306 810

19 Vardar Negotino 4228 105 533 537 1175

20 South-West Ohrid 11484 304 1239 1528 3071

21 Pelagonija Prilep 23895 429 2635 3169 6233 5 place 32

22 East Probistip 2990 59 310 390 759

23 South- East Radovis 6589 163 817 889 1869

24 Pelagonija Resen 3248 65 391 447 903

25 Vardar Sveti Nikole 4176 111 563 542 1216

26 Skopje City of Skopje 81703 1596 8920 10740 21256 1 place 107

27 South- West Struga 8840 310 1217 1095 2622

28 South- East Strumica 19591 619 2674 2952 6245 4 place 32

29 Polog Tetivo 32137 587 4055 4718 9360 2 place 47

30 East Stip 7022 144 640 725 1509

TOTAL 349879 7777 41895 46815 96487 27.58% 288


38

Appendix 2

Review of those that applied and received grant

Measure

Totalnumber ofcandidatesthatreceivedgrants in2008

Age group 15-19

Agegroup20-24

Agegroup25-29

Total all3 age

groups

Self- employment 500 11 69 88 168Formalization ofexisting businesses 107 0 4 18 22Total 607 11 73 106 190

Review of those that applied and did not receive grant

Measure

Totalnumber ofcandidatesthatapplied in2008

Age group15-19

Agegroup20-24

Agegroup25-29

Total all3 age

groups

Self- employment 899 21 119 138 278Formalization ofexisting businesses 348 2 18 51 71Total 1247 23 137 189 349

349/190=159=16 (10% sample for semi- structured interview)- 2 groups

Appendix 3

DISTRIBUTION OF SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WITHIN THE SELF-EMPLOYMENT II PROJECT, 2008

No. Statistical regionEmployment

Centre Municipality

Total number of involvedin the Self-employmentALMM up to 29 years of

age

Total number ofinvolved in the

Formalization ALMMup to 29 years of age

Total numberof involved

up to 29 yearsof age

Based on targetgroup- young up

to 27 years ofage

East Berovo 6 1 7 4

1 EastBerovo

Pehcevo 2 0 2 2

Pelagonija Bitola 3 1 4 12

PelagonijaBitola

Mogila 2 0 2 0

3 South- East Valandovo Valandovo 3 0 3 1

4 Vardar Veles Veles 2 2 4 1

5 East Vinica Vinica 0 0 0 0

6 South- East Gevgelija Gevgelija 2 0 2 1

7 Polog Gostivar Gostivar 6 0 6 3

Skopje Aerodorom 2 0 2 1

Skopje Butel 0 0 0 0

Skopje Gazi Baba 0 0 0 0

Skopje Gjorce Petrov 0 0 0 0

Skopje Zelenikovo 0 0 0 0

Skopje Ilinden 2 0 2 0

Skopje Karpos 1 0 1 0

8

Skopje

City of Skopje

Kisela Voda 3 0 3 1


40

Skopje Centar 2 0 2 1

Skopje Cair 1 0 1 0

9 South- West Debar Debar 4 0 4 2

East Delcevo 2 0 2 210

EastDelcevo

Makedonska Kamenica 0 0 0 0

11 Pelagonija Demir Hisar Demir Hisar 2 0 2 1

12 Vardar Kavadarci Kavadarci 7 2 9 4

South- West Drugovo 0 1 1 0

South- West Zajas 0 0 0 0

South- West Kicevo 3 2 5 213

South- West

Kicevo

Oslomej 1 0 1 1

East Kocani 1 1 2 014

EastKocani

Cesinovo- Oblesevo 0 0 0 0

15 North- East Kratovo Kratovo 1 1 2 0

North- East Kriva Palanka 19 1 20 1016

North- EastKriva Palanka

Rankovce 0 0 0 0

17 Pelagonija Krusevo Krusevo 2 0 2 0

North- East Kumanovo 16 1 17 3

North- East Lipkovo 1 0 1 118

North- East

Kumanovo

Starno Nagoricane 1 0 1 0

19 South- West Makedonski Brod Makedonski Brod 2 0 2 0

Vardar Demir Kapija 1 0 1 120

VardarHegotino

Hegotino 9 2 11 5


41

21 South-West Ohrid Ohrid 8 0 8 4

Pelagonija Dolneni 1 0 1 0

Pelagonija Krivogastani 2 0 2 022

Pelagonija

Prilep

Prilep 12 2 14 5

23 East Probistip Probistip 5 0 5 3

South- East Konce 2 0 2 024

South- EastRadovis

Radovis 2 0 2 0

25 Pelagonija Resen Resen 2 0 2 1

26 Vardar Sveti Nikole Sveti Nikole 2 0 2 1

South-West Vevcani 0 0 0 027

South-WestStruga

Struga 4 1 5 3

South-East Bosilovo 2 0 2 2

South-East Vasilevo 0 0 0 0

South-East Novo Selo 1 0 1 028

South-East

Strumica

Strumica 3 0 3 2

Polog Bogovinje 0 0 0 0

Polog Tearce 1 0 1 129

Polog

Tetovo

Tetovo 6 3 9 3

East Karbinci 0 0 0 030

EastStip

Stip 6 1 7 1

TOTAL 168 22 190 74

Out of 74=16 (20% sample for semi- structured interview)- 2 groups


42

Appendix 4

REVIEW PER REGIONS

No.

Stat

isti

cal R

egio

n

Empl

oym

ent

Cent

er

Tota

l num

ber

ofun

empl

oyed

Tota

l num

ber

ofun

empl

oyed

in t

he r

egio

n

Age

gro

up 1

5-19

Tota

l num

ber

ofun

empl

oyed

in

age

grou

p15

-19

in t

he re

gion

Age

gro

up 2

0-24

Tota

l num

ber

ofun

empl

oyed

in

age

grou

p20

-24

in t

he re

gion

Age

gro

up 2

5-29

Tota

l num

ber

ofun

empl

oyed

in

age

grou

p25

-29

in t

he re

gion

Tota

l num

ber

in a

ll 3

age

grou

p

Tota

l num

ber

ofun

empl

oyed

in a

ll 3

age

grou

ps

Com

men

t

0.5%

Num

ber

of s

ucce

ssfu

lca

ndid

ates

in 2

008

ALM

M S

elf-

empl

oym

ent –

age

up t

o 29

Num

ber

of s

ucce

ssfu

lca

ndid

ates

in 2

008

ALM

MFo

rmal

izat

ion

–age

up

to 2

9

Tota

l num

ber

of s

ucce

ssfu

lca

ndid

ates

, per

bot

hA

LMM

s in

200

8

Tota

l num

ber

of in

volv

edca

ndid

ates

in b

oth

ALM

Ms,

per

regi

ons

Veles 14360 333 1840 1913 4086 2 2 4

Kavadarci 8449 169 1029 1214 2412 7 2 9Negotino 4228 105 533 537 1175 10 2 12

1Varda

r

Sveti Nikole 4176

31213

111

718

563

3965

542

4206

1216

8889

2 0 2

27

Berovo 4150 63 422 560 1045 8 1 9

Vinica 3155 91 369 404 864 0 0 0Delcevo 4378 85 447 557 1089 2 0 2Kocani 9978 215 1049 1173 2437 1 1 2

Probistip 2990 59 310 390 759 5 0 5

2 East

Stip 7022

31673

144

657

640

3237

725

3809

1509

7703

6 1 7

25

Debar 3837 140 589 534 1263 4 0 4

Kicevo 9194 200 1208 1285 2693 4 3 7Makedonski

Brod 2647 99 405 306 810 2 0 2

Ohrid 11484 304 1239 1528 3071 8 0 8

3South

-West

Struga 8840

36002

310

1053

1217

4658

1095

4748

2622

10459

4 1 5

26


43

Valandovo 2488 67 294 327 688 3 0 3

Gevgelija 3581 111 386 429 926 2 0 2Radovis 6589 163 817 889 1869 4 0 44

South- East

Strumica19591

32249

619

960

2674

4171

2952

4597

6245

97284

32 6 0 6

15

Bitola18889 401 2231 2663 5295

6plac

e 27 5 1 6

Demir Hisar 2155 39 237 263 539 2 0 2

Krusevo 2130 44 217 258 519 2 0 2

Prilep23895 429 2635 3169 6233

5plac

e 32 15 2 17

5Pelagonija

Resen 3248

50317

65

978

391

5711

447

6800

903

13489

2 0 2

29

Gostivar 16144 408 2288 2156 4852 6 0 6

6 PologTetovo

32137

48281

587

995

4055

6343

4718

6874

9360

14212 2plac

e 47 7 3 10

16

Kratovo 2407 29 286 281 596 1 1 2Kriva Palanka 6444 139 738 796 1673 19 1 20

7North- East

Kumnovo29590

38441

652

820

3866

4890

3964

5041

8482

10751 3plac

e 43 18 1 19

41

8Skopj

e City of Skopje 81703 81703 1596 1596 8920 8920 10740 10740 21256 21256

1plac

e 107 11 0 11 11

Appendix 5

Number Question Category Answers to the open question Number of answers

No answer No answer 146

Total 146

In the next month if such a program is stillgoing on.

5

In the shortest time. 24

As soon as possible. 3

Right away. 25

Once they have called me. 2

In some time. 4

When I would have the opportunity. 14

In the comingperiod

In the next open competition. 29

Total 106

I don’t know I don’t know 15

Total 15

When I have minimum conditions forrealization of the idea.

1

6 If your answer to theprevious question is

positive, what are thereasons for you to do

that?

When conditionsfor that are there

I don’t know, I will ask someone to adviseme.

1


45

When I have a concrete project. 1

Maybe after I have fully reviewed theconditions and the opportunities, unless I

find a job in the foreseeable future.1

Soon. 8

When there are projects related to myprofession.

1

I consider applying for it when theGovernment adopts a program that will

be acceptable for me.6

When I’m ready. 2

Since it is difficult to find an adequate jobnowadays, this is how we would manageto do what we want to do and what we

have studied for.

1

When I have the opportunity. 2

The credits should be more favorable andthere should be some guarantee.

1

When I’m informed. 1

Total 26


46

Appendix 6

Number Question Category Answers to the open questionNumber of

answers

No answer No answer 229

Total 229

I don’t know I don’t know 12

Total 12

Because I think that hiring always goes in a way that oneknows in advance who will be selected for the job, and all

the others that have applied at an open competition orhave joined such a program will be rejected for some

invented reasons, such as for example: he/she does nothave any work experience, or incomplete documentation,etc., and it has also happened that you were not notifiedat all that your application at some open competition was

rejected.

1

Because I’m not informed at all about the employmentprograms of the Government.

1

Whatever the program is about, this in the Republic ofMacedonia is one thing; only connections and political

party affiliation matter – nothing else!1

I’m not informed enough about the existence of suchprograms and I don’t know enough how one should run

one’s own business.5

7 If your answer to questionNo. 5 is negative, pleaselist the reasons for that?

It takes acquiring knowledge about a multitude of issues. 1


47

I’ve never heard about this program. 7

Not any time soon. 1Not interested. 9

I wouldn’t become employed with this employmentmeasure.

1

There is no employer offering employment thatcorresponds to my knowledge.

1

I’m not in a position to enter employment and I don’tknow any employer that would hire me.

1

There is no employment for my profession. 1

I don’t want to. 1

There aren’t any additional funds. 1

There was no employer offering a job for my particulareducation, and regarding the self-employment measure –

I’m not in a position to become self-employed.1

I’m not in a position to become self-employed. 3

I still think I’m too young for such a business. 3

The conditions for starting up a business aren’t favorable. 1

The reason is my employment. 1

I live in a small rural community. 1

I don’t want that as a job. 1

Fixed monthly salary. 1

Rest of theanswers

I think this can be achieved only with a membership cardof some political party.

1


48

Because I’m doing simultaneously internship time at alawyer’s and post-graduation studies, due to which I have

no time to participate.1

Because I live far away and the pay is low. 1

I want to do as a job what I have studied for. 1

No trust. 1

No results. 1

I’m not sure. 1

I don’t have any particular reason at the moment. 1

Total 52

analysis-youth and self-employment

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