EUR 1,400 a month for barbecue workers, nurses with a monthly salary of EUR 1,500, the same for physical therapists, but also for lift repairers - adds like these have been flocking the Macedonian labor market, Telegraf.mk reads.
Construction workers that would gain EUR 1,300 a month, car workers, and other physical occupations are offered by mediators who convince people they could find work for them in Germany, while Macedonian residents can apply if they own a Bulgarian passport. Lately, those who have Macedonian travel documents can also apply for these positions.
One of the internet pages offering work abroad has enlisted all the aforementioned offers, whereas the mediators say a large number of Macedonian citizens are interested in these options. The work contract is signed with the German company that offers the employment, and the workers have provided accommodation.
In Macedonia no body keeps track of the exact record on the people who have left to find work abroad. In the western European countries, it is possible to land a job and sign a contract by having a personal document issued by the EU member states, which forces Macedonians to get a Bulgarian passports and travel abroad to make their living.
These days, the announcement of the list of Australia's most wanted jobs has stirred a huge interest among the young Macedonian population. However, in order to get there, a company that would employ the person should also secure his sponsorship. The process is not easy. Many workers leave from Macedonia to make a better salary in Dubai, Qatar, where employers do not require the possession of a Bulgarian passport.
Macedonians work for USD 550 in Dubai
Telegraf.mk has conducted an analysis on how a Macedonian citizen can get to a solid employment in one of the western European countries. The process is not that complicated, and those who have already left have a good experience. Some have managed to keep up with the work conditions, and others are not content with neither the accommodation or the treatment, so they have decided to come back.
It appears appealing, but in order to make EUR 1,300 in Germany, you have to go through a lot. Some Macedonian nationals have said they were tricked, while others said they have not even started their job there. These answers are most often given by physical persons who have contacts with the companies in Germany. The news portal has succeed in reaching one of those people, but he was not in the mood to share information regarding the entire departure procedure in Europe's most potent economy with journalists.
However, the agencies that mediate the employment procedures in some of the Arab countries, say they have received what they had agreed upon before leaving Macedonia. Priority Solutions, whose main activity is working with the hotelier business, says the Arab countries are looking for bar tenders, waiters, maids, people who work in spa centers, and butlers for the 5-star elite hotels.
The applicants for these work positions need to show solid knowledge of English, have a completed high school education and be communicative. The contracts are signed for two years, and if they are chosen, those who will be employed will get an accommodation, transport to work and back and three meals a day.
"Since we've started working, the interest level is standard. We work with Dubai and Qatar and the salaries for these jobs stand at USD 550 for a waiter for instance, who also gets tips there, but USD 2,000 for other higher positions. Currently we work on the so-called themed park, which is a Dubai project, which covers a great surface and which will employ many people. The salaries there will stand from USD 600 - 900, but only if the candidate passes the personal interview. The transportation to the country is covered, and the 2-year contract covers a paid vacation," said Milan Dzinlev, owner of the Priority Solutions agency.
The selection of the candidates is performed in Skopje, but the company there needs to approve the worker. The provision for the job is not paid by the employees but by the employers.
They do not speak the language
More and more employment mediation agencies appear on the market in Macedonia. They all have working licenses and what they do is completely legal. Their task is to connect the candidates with the companies looking for workers. When it comes to Macedonia, the key problem is that the applicants often do not know the language in the country where they want to work as house painters, construction workers, cosmeticians, hairdressers, bakers... Being fluent in the foreign language is in fact the basic criteria when making the selection.
Otherwise, it is difficult to regulate the stay of the hired worker provided he or she is a holder of a Macedonian passport. Currently, according to the competent institutions in several European countries, there are more than 1.3 million job vacancies for those who will find a way to leave Macedonia or are beneficiaries of an EU passport.
Croatia, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary and Poland are the countries that offer the most jobs. Most demanded professions are engineers, electricians, doctors and medical staff. For these positions, if the candidate passes all the tests, and if his education degrees are recognized and he lands the job, provided he knows the language of the country where he applies, the residency will be regulated during the course of the employment engagement.
The salaries stand between EUR 800, for a waiter in Croatia for instance, to EUR 9,8000 for mechatronician in Germany.
In the past few days, Australia too has published a list of deficient occupations. However, experience has shown that in order to obtain a work visa the applicant should first obtain a sponsorship from the company there, while the owners do not decide to hire or sponsor a worker they have not heard anything about before. Still, despite the complicated process, a large number of Macedonians leave and find work with people they already know have established their businesses abroad.