Skopje, 23 November 2023 (MIA) - Women's wages in North Macedonia are 17.5 percent lower than men's. Their businesses are only represented by 30 percent, and their potential to improve the economy has not been utilized, emphasized participants at the Third Annual Summit "Women in Entrepreneurship" that was held in Skopje on Thursday.

"The capacity for women in business has not been utilized because less than 30 percent of women are business owners, and less than 50 percent of women are part of the labor market, which is why we must work on increasing their capacities as an economic resource. Most women take part in micro and small enterprises, and very few in large companies, which means that what women do is with a small turnover and little employment," said National Platform for Women Entrepreneurship President, Valentina Disovska.
According to her, this issue requires education, recognition of good practices and mentoring, as well as commitment from institutions for improvement, including a support fund for entrepreneurship.

"Women's qualities are needed in business and the economy. Supporting and promoting female enterprises will improve overall competitiveness," Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi said.

He noted that a lot has been done for women's entrepreneurship in recent years, for which there is a lot of hope.

"Reducing the gender gap is key to unlocking the potential of female entrepreneurship in the economy," Bytyqi stressed, adding that the budget for 2024 foresees financial support for women’s enterprises.

The number of female-led companies has increased by 34.25 percent, which, according to Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, shows that the government's measures work, but more needs to be done and new activities and funding will soon follow, according to findings presented by representatives of women's entrepreneurship.

The event was attended by over 100 participants who shared the best practices and ideas for promoting, developing and supporting female entrepreneurship. Representatives from various institutions, organizations and women entrepreneurs important for the development of women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, also took part in discussions.

The summit is organized as an annual event of the “National Platform for Women Entrepreneurship” project, co-financed by the European Union. The main objective of the summit is to increase the visibility and profile of the Platform and the benefits it provides to stakeholders and women’s entrepreneurship.

The Summit will give out three awards from the Ministry of Economy for the most successful entrepreneur in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the National Platform will give awards for the Best Young Leader and for the Best Civil organization – good practice.

The number of female-led companies has increased by 34.25 percent, which, according to Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, shows that the government's measures work, but more needs to be done and new activities and funding will soon follow, according to findings presented by representatives of women's entrepreneurship.

The event was attended by over 100 participants who shared the best practices and ideas for promoting, developing and supporting female entrepreneurship. Representatives from various institutions, organizations and women entrepreneurs important for the development of women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, also took part in discussions.

The summit is organized as an annual event of the “National Platform for Women Entrepreneurship” project, co-financed by the European Union. The main objective of the summit is to increase the visibility and profile of the Platform and the benefits it provides to stakeholders and women’s entrepreneurship.

The Summit will give out three awards from the Ministry of Economy for the most successful entrepreneur in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the National Platform will give awards for the Best Young Leader and for the Best Civil organization – good practice.

Photo: MIA and screenshot