Young Macedonians see the future out of the country.

Many young people in Macedonia the exit out of the difficult economic situation and a better tomorrow see in the EU countries or possibly the United States, in fact everywhere, just not in their home country.In Macedonia another local elections have just finished. The citizens have used their democratic right to vote and elected local government which will take care of them in the next four years. Those who have closely followed the campaign, say that the on the pre-election promises, menu, was no place for the essential questions and answers to problems that are for many years tormenting citizens, and they are, above all, a high rate of unemployment and a low standard, and that a dominant position had nationalist rhetoric.

Intellectuals going

A great indifference and inferiority among youth is evident, especially students, those who should be generators and critical mass of society. Recent research detected more massive departure of young people, especially intellectuals from Macedonia, who most often in Western Europe seek a better tomorrow. This trend of "brain drain" is becoming increasingly worrying and themes numerous formal and informal meetings of youth.

Aleksandra, Milena, Sara, and Dejan Arbend are third-year students at the Faculty of Economics at the State University, 'Saint Cyril and Methodius University' in Skopje. They are my coleagues from college with whom I often talk about everyday problems. We are concerned about the current social and economic situation and our perspective. Like many, the exit out from this situation and a better tomorrow they see in the EU countries or possibly the United States,  in fact everywhere, just not in their home country.

During the pre-election campaign, in the second round, a debate was heald on youth unemployment and the brain drain trend in Macedonia. The participants in this debate were representatives of youth from 14 political parties. They offered various solutions to the problem of youth unemployment and the mass leaving the country, but they also were convinced that the economic problems of young people do not have ethnic and religious element-they refer to the whole society. Analis results of past local elections indicated that ethnicity was the key to getting votes, and the strategies of political parties that obviously knows how to get "cheap votes". 

Last month, for political reasons, youth of Albanian and Macedonian ethnicity protested, they fought among each other and devastated Skopje. Chaos ruled for days. Citizens felt insecure and were afraid to move freely. Interethnic relations are fragile. It takes a little to come to a conflict that are often repeated constantly in the last decade. The economic and political crisis in the country's rules for a long time now.

Protests in Macedonia. Photo taken from: Blic.rs

What is it in this country that a young and promising man, an intellectual can hope for? Why should they stay in their native country if there is no other reason except that it was his native country, and when they are there persona non grata? What is the motive why would the young and highly qualified staff remain in the country where the dominant employer is public administration, and conditions of employment, in most cases, everything except what is needed-adequate knowledge, predispositions and the ability for a particular job? These are questions that every young person aware of the alarming situation in the country sets. These issues revolve in mind of the whole Macedonian youth, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation.Economic experts point out that human resources as a factor of production are very important for the growth and development of the country, especially for the Balkan countries, which are in development and in which the permanent loss of skilled labor is equivalent impoverishment, which will undoubtedly be reflected in all aspects of society .

Written by Admir Fazlagić. 
A young journalist who writes for numerous national and international media outlets.
Also a student of Faculty of Economics' St. "Cyril and Methodius" in Skopje.

Raising the level of education

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia last September announced the development of a national strategy which will systematically approach solving the problem of emigration of highly educated and skilled personnel from the country. So far for now, it doesn’t have a significant effect.

My two best friends, graduate doctors of general medicine, just packed their bags and are going to Germany with the hope that their knowledge will be respected and that there is perspective for them. Not slowly, but surely every day, the phenomenon of brain drain is taking it’s tool.

According to past experience, palliative and short-term measures (such as a significant increase in inflation, one-time public capital investment) in order to reduce unemployment and stopping the brain drain, have not succeeded, and do not provide lasting results.

However, the improvement of the situation could be expected as a result of measures with long-term, lasting effects. Gradually changing the structure of the Macedonian economy and raising the level of education and skills of the workforce, are seemingly best way to achieve this goal. 

Will it stop, or at least neutralize, the brain drain, a highly expressed trend in the Balkan countries, and how, remains an enigma.