Croatia is increasingly becoming an important destination for North Macedonians looking for seasonal work, while the country which recently joined the Schengen area faces a labor shortage.
However, the upward trend in the number of seasonal workers from North Macedonia is having a serious impact on the Balkan country’s economy, as Bojan Blazhevski of the Meta news agency pointed out: SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Blazhevski says the main reason Macedonian workers go to Croatia is low wages, as Croatian employers pay them almost six months or more of salary in a three-month period.
“This year, Croatia is a very popular destination for summer work. Concretely, for summer jobs, people with different jobs or backgrounds leave. I even know people who take their vacation or three months without pay to work during the summer,” Blazhevski told SchengenVisaInfo.com.
He also emphasizes that it is absolutely worth working three months in other countries like Croatia, Greece, Spain and Malta for Macedonian workers.
Despite the remittances and benefits that seasonal work brings to the country, it endangers the job market and encourages demographic changes as more people seeking a better life migrate to European countries.
The phenomenon of skilled workers leaving the country, also known as the “brain drain,” threatens the country’s economy, and Blazhevski says what’s even more concerning is that these workers often leave North Macedonia for always.
“Here we are talking about highly professional and highly qualified people with higher education in the IT or medical sector. They are not tackling low wages, but corruption in the country and general problems with the rule of law. People are furious about this and just want to live in a better society that respects them. So not only higher salaries or greater appreciation for their work, but also a better environment in which to live. » he also noted.
He also said that the medical sector has been hit hardest by the brain drain, as workers acquire the necessary academic training and expertise in North Macedonia and apply for jobs in Germany or other country.
It is also very expensive for the country itself, as it invests time, money and knowledge to prepare workers who will not even stay in the country.
This phenomenon is becoming more and more common in all Balkan countries, with the medical sector being particularly affected. SchengenVisaInfo.com previously reported that the migration of skilled workers from Balkan countries has impacted the standard of living in these countries.who are not only facing workforce shortages, but have seen some medical centers shut down entirely.
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