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1. Programmes specific for vulnerable young people

2. Funding

3. Quality assurance

Programmes specific for vulnerable young people

Inclusive programmes for vulnerable young people in North Macedonia are primarily implemented in the field of employment and labour market activation. These programmes are coordinated by the Employment Service Agency under the Ministry of Economy and Labour (established in its current structure in 2024 following governmental reorganisation).

1. Youth Guarantee

(Гаранција за млади – Youth Guarantee)
Introduced in 2018 as a pilot and implemented nationwide since 2019, the Youth Guarantee aims to ensure that every young person under 29 receives an offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship or traineeship within four months of registering as unemployed.

The programme targets:

• Unemployed young people aged 15–29;

• NEET youth (Not in Education, Employment or Training);

• Young long-term unemployed persons;

• Young people from vulnerable backgrounds.

According to official reports of the Employment Service Agency, participation has remained stable in recent years, with approximately 20,000–25,000 young people registered annually under the scheme. A significant share of beneficiaries transition into employment or activation measures, although long-term sustainability of employment outcomes remains a challenge.

The current implementation framework (2023–2026) foresees legal expansion to additional vulnerable groups beyond youth, though youth remain the primary target group.

2. Active Labour Market Measures for Young People (Активни мерки за вработување – Active Employment Measures)

Within the Annual Operational Plans for Active Employment Programmes (e.g., 2024 and 2025 Operational Plans), several measures specifically prioritise young unemployed persons, including:

• Self-employment support (entrepreneurship grants)

• Internship and traineeship programmes

• Wage subsidies for employers hiring young unemployed persons

• Skills training and requalification programmes
   

Young people consistently represent one of the largest beneficiary groups within active labour market measures. According to official budget allocations for 2025, approximately 2.459 billion MKD are earmarked for active employment measures overall, with youth representing a key priority group.

However, coverage remains limited relative to the total number of unemployed young people, particularly among long-term unemployed and Roma youth.

3. Subsidised Employment of Persons with Disabilities (Субвенционирано вработување на лица со попреченост)

This measure is implemented through the Annual Work Programme of the Employment Service Agency. Although not youth-specific, young persons with disabilities are eligible beneficiaries.

The objective is to:

• Increase employment rates among persons with disabilities

• Provide wage subsidies and workplace adaptation support to employers
   

Young persons with disabilities remain significantly underrepresented in the labour market, and participation data disaggregated by age is not systematically published.

Funding

Funding for inclusive youth employment programmes is primarily provided through:

• The national budget via the Ministry of Economy and Labour;

• Annual Operational Plans for Active Employment Programmes;

• EU pre-accession assistance (IPA) and international donor support (for Youth Guarantee strengthening and labour market reforms).

For 2025, approximately 191 billion MKD are allocated for social transfers overall, while 2.459 billion MKD are specifically earmarked for active employment measures.

Despite increased allocations in recent years, youth-focused inclusion programmes remain largely embedded within broader labour market measures rather than funded through a dedicated youth inclusion budget line.

Quality assurance

Monitoring of inclusive youth employment programmes is conducted by the Employment Service Agency through:

• Administrative tracking of registered beneficiaries;

• Reporting on employment outcomes;

• Annual implementation reports on active employment measures.
   

However:

• Publicly available impact evaluations remain limited;

• Long-term employment sustainability data is not systematically published;

• Disaggregated data by ethnicity, disability status or rural background is incomplete.
   

The Youth Guarantee framework includes internal monitoring indicators aligned with EU standards, but independent evaluation studies assessing long-term social inclusion impact remain scarce.

Further strengthening of data transparency, outcome-based monitoring and impact evaluation mechanisms would enhance the assessment of programme effectiveness.