VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski says that the political crisis has had some effect on the economic growth, but argues the economy, with him as prime minister and earlier, as finance minister, has weathered much worse situations than "the 2,000 mostly well paid protesters we have now".
Gruevski adds that pressure was put by the opposition SDSM party on some businessmen using the wiretaps they have, to try to deepen the economic difficulties, but this is backfiring and is making SDSM even less appreciated by the public.
"Lately we've seen the start of three new foreign investments in only one week, which will add 2,000 direct new jobs, with indirect gains expected to amount to additional 500-600 jobs. This is something that makes me very happy, because reducing the unemployment level was at the top of my priorities. My term started off with an unemployment rate of 38 percent and we've reduced it down to 24,6 percent. We've gone from 560,000 employees in the country to 710,000, a gain of 150,000 new jobs. While the unemployment rate still remains high, these gains seemed like an unachievable dream when we started. And this was all done in time of a global and later a European financial crisis, which covered nearly half of my term in office, and now, for a year and half back, we have had the political crisis which is also adversely affecting the economy. But, as the leading coalition party, we will continue to implement economic policies that allow opening of new jobs", Gruevski says in the the fifth, final part of his interview with the Telegraf.mk news site.
One step that Gruevski announced is the second phase of the Macedonia Employs project that allowed significant cuts in taxes paid on salaried incomes, for companies that hire people from a long list of vulnerable categories.
Gruevski says that this one year program, which has contributed to opening 19,000 new jobs, helps push wages higher, as companies are forced to improve the salaries and conditions they offer to a shrinking pool of unemployed people.
The former prime minister says that 17 foreign companies invested in Macedonia since the start of the year, some building new plants, others opting to invest in refurbished old industrial halls, and some already producing from completed factories.