All news for country
It’s World Day of safety and health at work!
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work (28 April) serves to raise awareness about occupational safety and health and gives us an opportunity to talk about the causes of work-related injuries, diseases, and fatalities, and measures to prevent them. This year, on Occupational Safety and Health Day, the focus is on the impact of climate change.
Staff news
Retrospective on challenges and successes - Interview with Markus Pilgrim, Director of ILO Central and Eastern Europe stepping down
Markus Pilgrim retires after long and successful service at the ILO. During his tenure as Director, the ILO Central and Eastern Europe Office managed to further raise its profile as a specialised technical agency on world of work issues and to expand its portfolio.
Trade unions
Workers’ rights in Europe in decline, says ITUC Global Rights Index 2023
In July 2023, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released its 10th Global Rights Index. The report paints a grim picture of workers’ rights around the globe. According to ITUC, Europe is no longer a bastion of workers’ rights.
Three essential questions
What are the proven means to reduce informality?
In our series of interviews with leading researchers, economists and policymakers, we interviewed Professor Ioana Alexandra Horodnic, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași, Romania on how informality (including “envelope wages”) affects workers and society, and what measures work best in reducing it.
Workers' rights
ITUC Global Rights Index 2022 shows that many workers in Central and Eastern Europe have no access to rights
In July 2022, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released its yearly Global Rights Index. It shows that in Europe, the most frequently violated rights have been the right to strike and the right to bargain collectively. Through ratifications of ILO Conventions, governments of Central and Eastern Europe made obligations to implement workers’ rights. In reality, many workers face obstacles in accessing their rights.
Youth employment
What works in youth employment? Results from an impact assessment of Montenegro’s largest internship programme for university graduates
Youth employment has been high on the agenda of the Montenegrin Government. For 10 years, the Government has invested up to 8 Mio EUR per year for a large internship programme for university graduates. 9 out of 10 youth graduating each year from the universities of the small Adriatic country participated in the programme. At the request of the Government the ILO helped to assess the impact of the programme and found out that there have been no direct gains from participating in the programme in terms of employment or wages.
Job creation in the Western Balkans
How nearshoring may create opportunities for the Western Balkan economies?
In this issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies, we talked to Zuzana Zavarska, Economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies. We asked her to explain how nearshoring may create economic opportunities for the Western Balkans.
Youth labour markets in the EU
Three essential questions: Interview with Pola Schneemelcher, Project Manager at Institute for Macrofinance, Berlin, Germany
We interviewed Pola Schneemelcher, Project Manager in the area of labor market and fiscal policy at the think tank Dezernat Zukunft – Institute for Macrofinance. She shared her insights on how youth labour markets in the European Union were impacted by the pandemic, what measures she has seen and whether governments can afford these measures or not. The Dezernat Zukunft is a non-partisan think tank aiming at rethinking and explaining monetary, financial, and economic policy in a comprehensible way.
Latest labour survey data
Workers’ education level for their jobs: is it a match in South East Europe?
Many people are working in jobs that do not match their level of education. At the same time, many employers claim to have difficulties in finding workers with the skills that they need to expand their business and innovate successfully. This phenomenon points to a significant disconnect between the world of education and the world of work.
ILO/EU partnership
Youth Guarantee garners speed in the Western Balkans
Inspired by similar schemes in the EU Member States, a youth guarantee is a commitment to support every young person under the age of 30 who is not employed, in education or training (so-called NEETs). This commitment entitles young people to receive a good quality offer of employment, traineeship, apprenticeship, or continued education and training within four months of leaving school or becoming unemployed.
Labour rights infringed during the pandemic
Three essential questions to Aleksandar Ristovski, Professor of Labour Law, Skopje
In the third issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies, we talked to Aleksandar Ristovski, Professor of Labour Law at ‘Ss. Cyril and Methodius’ University in Skopje, North Macedonia. We asked him about the restriction of labour rights following the COVID-19 crisis, particularly those of the most vulnerable, and about how to guarantee labour rights as we are building back better.
Job-rich recovery for women
Three Essential Questions: Interview with Réka Sáfrány, President of European Women's Lobby
This is the second issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies. The interviewee this time is Réka Sáfrány, newly elected President of the European Women's Lobby. We asked her about women's labour participation in the region, why the pandemic hit women disproportionally and the most vulnerable within this group of workers.
ILO support for Trade Unions during the pandemic
ITUC Global Rights Index for 2021 shows that COVID-19 impacted workers’ rights in Central and Eastern Europe
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has released its yearly Global Rights Index for 2021. The report shows that the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in violations of workers’ rights across the globe. In Europe, the most frequently violated rights have been the rights to strike, to go for collective bargaining, and to establish and join a trade union. For Central and Eastern Europe, the index shows a mixed picture. While some countries increased workers’ access to rights, other countries moved in the opposite direction.
Supporting enterprises
What is in store for Montenegrin businesses after COVID-19 pandemic hard hit the economy?
Montenegro’s economy was hit harder by the pandemic than any other European country. We asked one of the leading Business representatives from this country, Predrag Mitrovic, President of the Montenegrin Employers Federation, what they did to support companies and how the ILO has been helpful.
Introducing a youth guarantee (YG) in the Western Balkans
The European Commission and the ILO join forces to support young people
A new EC/ILO Technical Assistance Facility set up to pursue youth employment in the Western Balkans.
Policy innovations responding to the pandemic
Three essential questions to Mihail Arandarenko, Professor at University of Belgrade, Faculty of Economics
Welcome to our first issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies. The interviewee is Mihail Arandarenko, a leading researcher on labour markets and employment and social policies.
Protection of workers
Non-standard forms of employment: assets or liabilities?
Temporary employment, part-time work, temporary agency work, fixed term contracts, disguised employment: non-standard forms of employment can help enterprises adjust quickly to market dynamics and tackle labour shortages. However, when misused to reduce labour costs at the expense of fundamental labour rights, they deprive workers of fair pay, decent working conditions and limit their access to social security. The new ILO report looks into how non-standard forms of employment are implemented in Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.
One UN
“Building a conducive environment for collaboration is key” — Interview with Peter Lundberg, UN Resident Coordinator in Montenegro
The ILO asked the new Resident Coordinator about the UN response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the assistance ILO can provide for the country and how he sees his role after 4 months in the position.
International Training Centre of the ILO
New challenges for TVET and skills development - what do you want to learn today?
The importance of learning new skills has never been as evident as in the last year. Almost overnight, all of the global workforce had to admit they faced challenges with their digital skills. We had to switch to new ways of managing work and doing business, of participating in learning and delivering education and training to young people and adults alike. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and skills development systems has been profound. Teachers, coordinators and policy makers discovered the challenges, but also the opportunities of applying digital learning technologies.
New enterprises survey
Weathering the storm: Montenegrin Employers organization helps Government in shaping COVID-19 policy response
The COVID-19 crisis devastated Montenegro’s large tourism sector with knock-on effects on the whole economy. In 2020, Montenegro’s GDP decline of an estimated 15.2 per cent was one of the deepest in Europe. With the crisis showing no signs of abating, enterprises are in need of further support measures to be able to navigate this turbulent period. The ILO supported the Montenegrin Employers Federation (MEF) to conduct a second survey to track the impact of the crisis on enterprise, and assess the effectiveness of government measures adopted so far. Analysing the survey results, MEF proposed support measures for enterprises, some of which have been incorporated in the latest COVID-19 response package adopted by the government at the end of January 2021.