North Macedonia: More than 10,000 Unemployed People with Higher Education, Including 600 Master’s Graduates and 20 PhD Holders

More than 110,000 people are unemployed in North Macedonia, while over 10,000 of them have higher education. This group includes around 600 master’s graduates and approximately 20 PhD holders who have still been unable to secure a job. Around half of the unemployed are 39 years old.

Successive North Macedonian governments’ campaigns, with messages such as “Get an education” and “Knowledge is power,” have sought to encourage young people to pursue university studies, promising that education would guarantee them a better future.

However, many young people graduate from university, earn master’s degrees or complete doctorates, yet continue to face professional uncertainty. According to INA, their opportunities often depend on the political parties in power, leaving them without a clear direction for their future.

For many young people, university degrees and academic titles are not the main criteria for employment. They say that political influence, demonstrated through party membership cards, plays a greater role in determining their chances of finding a job, while they consider themselves hostages and victims of this phenomenon.

The latest data from the State Statistical Office (SSO) show that, out of more than 100,000 unemployed people in Macedonia, over 10,000 have higher education. Of these, nearly 600 are master’s graduates and around 20 are PhD holders.

The same report indicates that approximately half of the unemployed people with higher education are aged up to 39.

Employment through party connections, friendships, contacts established in the past, as well as through bribery, has become a reality that has damaged values and hindered young people’s professional advancement. For this reason, many of them have been forced to leave the country.

Meanwhile, the state administration and various institutions have for years been overcrowded with such individuals, some of whom are considered unprepared and incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities of their positions.

This situation is also reflected in official statistics and in research conducted by domestic and international non-governmental organizations. The European Union has repeatedly warned of an administration overloaded with party activists and has called for its urgent professionalization, particularly in the most sensitive sectors./INA/Prepared by: Anila Pajaziti/