Macedonian workers are more productive than they are paid, a study by the Center for Economic Analysis and the Vienna Institute showed. The study, which analyzes socio-economic data on how close or far Macedonia is from the European Union average in eight parameters, including the economy, healthcare, and social security, says there is room for an increase in the average salary.
"What this research shows is that we are currently, based on the average salary, at one third of the European average, i.e. 33%, and from the productivity aspect we are at 50%. If we look at just these two factors, we can say that we have greater productivity than we are paid, in our case salaries should increase as a standard. Is there room for salary increases? Yes. Should salaries increase? Yes. Should salaries increase based on productivity? I would say no", declares Viktor Mitevski, Center for Economic Analysis
The research also suggests that wage growth should be achieved through the use of technology, digitalization, and improving the quality of the economy.
"If we take into account that in Macedonia 73,3% receive a salary below the average, then this percentage of the ratio of the average salary in Macedonia to the average salary in the European Union will go much lower and this will show that Macedonian workers are much more productive than they are paid. What we, as LSM, have recently emphasized is now confirmed by independent analyses, which should be heard by policymakers and employers and finally, enter the spiral of increasing salaries for Macedonian workers," assesses Slobodan Trendafillov, president of the League of Trade Unions of Macedonia.
Official statistics on the average salary show that in July, August and September 2025 there is a continuous increase, with an increase of about 10% compared to the previous year. The average monthly salary paid in August 2025 is about 45.310 denars, while in July it was 45.276 denars./TV21
