Skopje, 13 March 2023 (MIA) – The minimum wage which was Mden 18.000 will be increased by Mden 2.175 as of next month, and will record an increase of 12.55 percent in 2023. The wages of 27.000 public servants will be adjusted as well, based on the Law on Administrative Servants, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Monday.

“As we promised, the minimum wage will be higher by Mden 2.175 as of April and will be Mden 20.175. This means that we have an increase of over 12 percent of the basic, minimum wage. The wages of 27.000 public servants will be adjusted as well, based on the Law on Administrative Servants,” said Kovachevski.

The minimum wage was increased on the basis of the new methodology for wage adjustment adopted in 2022 following negotiations between the government, trade unions and employers. In line with the new methodology, the minimum wage will be adjusted with 50 percent of living costs and 50 percent with the growth of the average wage.

“The minimum wage is increasing by 12.55 percent in 2023. This means that with the payments of the March wage, there will be no lower wage than Mden 20.175,” said Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska.

For Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs, Fatmir Bytyqi, the increase of the minimum wage is an indicator of how the minimum wage can be determined through a systemic solution and dialogue.

“I am glad that the day has come when the setting of the minimum wage is no longer a topic of negotiations, arguments, blackmail and political points. The citizens will receive a higher minimum wage by Mden 2.175 with the March wage,” said Bytyqi.

The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia urged employers to adjust the other wages with the increase of the minimum wage in order to avoid everyone having equal wages.

“We urge the employers both in the private and the public sector to find the strength to adjust the wages of the other employees in order to avoid equal wages which don’t lead to strongly motivated workers,” said Zlatko Cvetkovski from the Federation.

The Organization of Employers of Macedonia said that they support systemic solutions and that they are always in favor of motivating and rewarding good workers.

“We support good, productive workers and we strive for our employees to have good purchasing power. This legal solution has already been finalized and we don’t need to talk about further changes, however, we have to talk about another issue, which is to have more productive workers, to have young people that will be satisfied and will want to work in the private sector,” said the president of the Organization, Vladanka Trajkovska. ad/sk/