Industrial employment in North Macedonia falls for two years

The number of industrial workers in North Macedonia has been falling for two consecutive years, with the State Statistical Office reporting a 2.3% year‑on‑year drop in June. The last month that showed an increase in industrial employment was July 2024.

Authorities and analysts point to several worrying signals: foreign investors have announced the planned closure of three production plants in industrial zones, citing crises and turbulence on the European markets where most output is exported.

At the same time, industrial output rose — production in June was 6.5% higher than in the same month a year earlier — a contrast that suggests changes in workforce composition, automation or shifts in the types of goods produced.

External comparisons and living standards

Eurostat last week placed North Macedonia among the countries with the lowest GDP per capita in the region; only Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked lower. That context underlines the structural challenges the economy faces despite pockets of growth.

Commenting on minimum wage comparisons, Trajko Slaveski, governor of the National Bank of North Macedonia, wrote: "According to the latest Eurostat data, measured by purchasing power, the value of the gross minimum wage in North Macedonia in July 2026 is higher compared to seven EU member states; it is higher than all Western Balkans countries and Turkey."

Still, many households report a different reality. The net minimum wage in North Macedonia stands at 26,046 denars, while calculations by the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia show that a monthly minimum union basket for a four‑person family reached 68,500 denars — more than two and a half times the minimum wage — a gap that fuels public frustration over living costs.

Photo: press material from the event