The latest episode of the Business Club podcast by the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia featured Natasa Janevska, M.A., Project Manager at the Chamber with extensive experience in vocational education and the qualification system. She addressed one of the biggest challenges facing the Macedonian economy—the emigration of young talent.

Host Branko Azeski announced that the Chamber's next project will focus on addressing brain drain, not only by preventing young people from leaving but also by creating conditions for their return to Macedonia.

Janevska emphasized that to curb workforce emigration, it is essential to create new jobs, provide tax incentives for young entrepreneurs, and offer grants for startups. Many young people have potential and creativity, but they need concrete support to start businesses and contribute to economic growth.

“The message to young people is clear—they can be successful in Macedonia while also gaining international recognition. That is why we actively encourage elementary school students to enroll in vocational schools and connect with successful managers who have built their careers here. When we visit schools to promote vocational education, we bring along managers who studied locally, achieved success, and are recognized abroad," Janevska stated.

During the discussion, Janevska highlighted that the country suffers losses in three key areas when young people leave: economic, demographic, and social. A shrinking workforce reduces productivity and efficiency, the population ages, and public finances increasingly shift toward social expenditures instead of future investments. The only way to reverse this trend is by creating better working and living conditions and reforming the public administration to make it more accessible and efficient.

Janevska also spoke about the Chamber’s efforts to improve education and enhance the quality of practical training in the country. By increasing the number of work-based learning hours, dual education students now spend between 6 and 10 hours per week in companies, significantly improving their experience and readiness for the labor market.

One of the Chamber’s key future priorities will be recognizing two-year vocational education as mandatory secondary education, allowing students to receive a diploma after completing the second year and choose whether to enter the workforce directly or continue their studies.

"We had a serious issue with the Law on Vocational Education. Students who completed two-year vocational programs were not eligible for the labor market because their education was not recognized as completed secondary education. Now, with the new legal amendments, we are working to ensure that these students immediately receive a qualification, allowing them both employment opportunities and the possibility to continue their education," Janevska emphasized.