Skopje, 25 December 2025 (MIA) - The fight for a higher standard of life and lowering the unemployment rate is one of the Government's top priorities. We are in the stage of confirming three foreign investments worth up to EUR 120 million and opening of over 1,500 jobs, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Thursday.

"We are already in the stage of confirming three very important foreign investments - a Turkish one in the automotive industry, a German one in the high-tech sector, and a Greek one in the pharmaceutical field," PM Mickoski told a Q&A session in Parliament.

One of the investments will be located in the Tetovo economic zone, while the other two in Skopje.

"Some of the existing investments will enlarge their capacities, and there are negotiations with about ten others. This is a strong investment cycle that is important to us because it brings down unemployment," said Mickoski.

He urged the diaspora to come back to the country because of the need for qualified staff.

"According to the State Statistical Office, there are 7,000 more employed people compared to the same month in 2024, with the number of those employed surpassing the 700,000-mark for the first time on record. On the other hand, the number of unemployed has dropped by the same amount to a total of about 91,000. We also have to consider that a lot of the people registered as unemployed are active on the labor market as part of the informal economy. The Ministry of Economy and Labor is drafting a law related to this aspect and I expect that as a result, the unemployment rate will drop to single digits in the course of next year," said Mickoski.

He added that the 2026 Budget also projects about Mden 2.4 billion (EUR 39 million) for this purpose, as part of the Operational Employment Plan.

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