Over 34,000 foreign workers in five years — North Macedonia’s labour market under strain

More than 34,000 foreign nationals received work permits or employment opinions in North Macedonia over the past five years, a trend that has reshaped the labour market and rekindled debate about who will fill vacancies in the country’s economy.

Key figures

Workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Turkey and other countries have arrived to occupy open positions across multiple sectors. At the same time there are reportedly over 90,000 people officially unemployed in North Macedonia and thousands of advertised vacancies, creating a contradiction between available domestic labour and employer demand.

Employers and analysts point to low wages, difficult working conditions and limited benefits as reasons many local jobseekers decline certain offers. Firms say they cannot find enough domestic applicants willing to accept the pay or conditions on offer; critics argue the labour market’s structure and weak incentives push companies to import labour instead.

The ballooning inflow of migrant workers has become a politically sensitive issue: policymakers must balance business needs for staff with pressures to improve jobs, wages and enforcement so that domestic workers are not sidelined.

The topic will be discussed on the programme Crvena linija — s.7. e.36, airing 04 November '26 at 16:15. The broadcast invites public reaction and asks whether foreign workers are a short-term fix or a structural dependence.

POLL: Are foreign workers a lifeline for the economy? Yes/No

Photo: press material from the event