Data from the State Statistical Office show that during the second quarter of 2026, the greatest demand for workers was recorded in the services and sales sectors.
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The highest vacancy rate was recorded in accommodation and food service activities, where it reached 6.23%. The hospitality and tourism sector is facing major difficulties in securing staff due to seasonal pressures, low wages and the mass departure of young people to work abroad.
The lowest rate was recorded in the Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply sector, at just 0.38%. This sector is traditionally known for its stability, good wages and limited labor turnover.
The Skopje region continues to be the country’s main economic center. With a vacancy rate of 2.30%, the capital leads in demand for workers, as most business activity is concentrated there.
The staff shortage appears particularly pronounced among businesses with between 10 and 49 employees. This category recorded the highest vacancy rate, at 3.20%. While large companies are able to offer higher wages and benefits, medium-sized businesses find it more difficult to attract and retain workers.
As for occupations, the fifth group, Service and Sales Workers, had 2,980 job vacancies. At the same time, according to the latest data from the State Statistical Office, unemployment in Macedonia stands at 11.3 percent, while the number of unemployed people reaches 90,020.
The discrepancy between the number of unemployed people and the number of vacancies can be explained by several factors. One of them is the significant gap between the profiles produced by the education system and the needs of the real labor market. The country has more graduates in administrative fields, while there is a shortage of workers with professional and craft qualifications.
In addition, a considerable portion of registered unemployed people may be working in the gray economy, meaning they are employed without being officially declared. Others register with the Employment Agency primarily to receive social benefits and health insurance, without genuinely intending to accept a job offer.
Another problem is related to wages and working conditions in the sectors experiencing the greatest staff shortages, particularly services and sales. These conditions are often not attractive enough to activate people who are outside the active labor market.
In the face of this situation, an urgent review of policies is needed.
Macedonia is no longer facing only the challenge of creating new jobs, but also the difficulty of finding people to fill them. This paradox is becoming a serious obstacle to economic growth. If companies cannot secure the workers they need in services and sales, the expansion of their operations will be hindered. The solution requires the rapid retraining of unemployed people, higher productivity and wages, as well as a determined fight against the informal economy. Otherwise, businesses may view importing labor from abroad as the only way to cope with the staff shortage.
