THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISES ON THE LEVEL OF EMPLOYMENTIN SERBIA AND MACEDONIA

POPOVSKI Nikola (Associate professor at Faculty of Economy, International Slavic University, Sveti Nikole, Macedonia), nikopop@yahoo.com

The main goal of this paper is to understand the situation, dynamic and tendencies in active population and employment in Serbia and Macedonia and indicate key problems as a result of impact of the world economic crises on these variables. Employment rate decrees to the levels which are much lower than 50 percent. It endangers the economies of Serbiaand Macedonia in the global economy and in the context of their European integrations. the basic structural characteristics of the active population and employment in both countries were researched. A comparative approach is logical and possible as Serbia and Macedonia has similar levels of economic development, economic structure and problems.they are some of a few European countries with a lowest rate of active population and employment, and highest rate of unemployment. Quantitative changes in the active population and employment in Serbia and Macedonia in the last decade are determined. their changes are related to ones in the countries of the EU. those data are used to explore if the world crises contribute to approximation or digression of Serbia and Macedonia to the levels of those indicators in EU. As EU already established a goal to realize the growth of their employment rate to the level of 75 percent by 2020, it becomes extremely important for Serbia and Macedonia to achieve and maintain the growth of employment rate so the EU integration should be effectively possible. thisis not possible without higher and sustainable growth of those economies in the future.

Keywords: Active population, employment rate, economic crises, Serbia