Keeping up with employment compliance laws is difficult. During an expansion to the Republic of North Macedonia, you also have to learn how to recruit and hire employees while navigating all the country’s local labor laws. This work is in addition to running your company in your base location.
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Recruiting in the Republic of North Macedonia
As critical as it is to understand Macedonian culture and business etiquette during the recruitment process, companies should also consider some of the more technical aspects of hiring in the country. To keep the hiring process as efficient as possible and ensure that your company stays compliant, you’ll need to understand the local recruitment channels as well as your legal obligations.
Companies have a variety of options when it comes to sourcing talent and advertising open positions. It’s important to note that the country does require international companies to post job listings in local newspapers and publications, and those job listings must contain certain details like position title, schedule, and salary. Many companies also advertise jobs online.
Laws against discrimination in the Republic of North Macedonia
The requirement to advertise jobs locally is just one law that you’ll need to keep in mind as you recruit new team members. The Republic of North Macedonia is one of many countries with legislation in place to prevent discrimination. You’ll need to ensure that your company complies with these laws during the recruitment process and beyond. Macedonian law prohibits discrimination based on a variety of characteristics, including:
- Gender
- Sex
- National or ethnic origin
- Age
- Skin color
- Religion
- Disability
- Sexual orientation
- Language
- Family or financial status
- Trade union membership
To avoid compliance issues, you should avoid mentioning any of these traits in job advertisements. The only exception is if one of these characteristics is an inherent requirement for the job, such as a minimum age for the sale of alcohol. You should also avoid asking direct questions about these traits in interviews and conversations with prospective hires.
How to hire employees in the Republic of North Macedonia
All employees in the Republic of North Macedonia must have a written employment contract in place in the local language. The employment contract must include benefits, compensation, termination terms, entitlements, and more. Salary and compensation amounts should be listed in Macedonian denar. The Republic of North Macedonia employment compliance law requires there to be 2 copies of the contract – 1 kept at the business premises and the other given to the employee upon signing.
If you hire employees under a fixed-term contract, keep in mind that it can only go up to 5 years. You’ll also have to keep a copy of the contract at the premises at all times. While trade unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) are not very common in the Republic of North Macedonia, you should still check to see if one applies to your industry, as you’ll need to include those terms in the employment contract.
The Republic of North Macedonia employment laws
Generally, employees work 40 hours a week — 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Overtime is permitted up to 8 hours a week and 190 hours per year. You should approve any overtime hours ahead of time and outline how much you’ll pay for overtime in your employment contract. Employers also need to take the following steps to meet the Republic of North Macedonia employment compliance laws:
- Publish job vacancies through daily newspapers, national employment agency publications, or private specialized HR agencies.
- Select the best candidate within a maximum of 15 days from the expiration of the public notice.
- Register all employees for social insurance and the health fund.
- Give employees copies of all registration documents.
Onboarding in the Republic of North Macedonia
The Republic of North Macedonia does not have a standard onboarding process that companies must follow. You should try to make employees more comfortable by providing job training during the onboarding process. Consider onboarding multiple employees at once to encourage team bonding.
Grow globally with G-P.
G-P never forgets that behind every hire is a human being. That’s why we’ve backed our fully customizable suite of global employment products with our robust team of HR and legal experts, so we can remain at your side, ready to support you as you build your global teams. With the #1 Global Growth Platform™, you have the recruitment tools and services you need to find your perfect full-time or contract match.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you recruit, hire, and onboard anyone, anywhere.