Unemployment Fell From 12.5 to 11.3 Percent, 17,000 New Jobs: What the Numbers Say - and What They Leave Out

Numbers are a good thing - when they're accurate and when something real stands behind them. According to official data from the State Statistical Office, the number of employed people in Macedonia rose by about 17,000 compared to 2024, and the unemployment rate dropped from 12.5 to 11.3 percent. Figures the ruling side happily pulls out as proof that its economic policy is delivering results.

„These are not political estimates, but official data from the State Statistical Office," stressed MP Stojanoski, presenting the figures as indisputable. And indeed, the statistics come from a competent state institution - that's not in question. What's always in question is what hides behind the percentages.

Because the unemployment rate can fall in several ways, not all of them equally good. Is the number of quality, well-paid jobs growing, or does part of the drop come from people who emigrated and simply no longer count as unemployed? How many of the new 17,000 jobs are in the real sector, and how many in administration? These are questions the statistics on their own don't answer.

Cutting unemployment by more than a full percentage point in a single year is no small thing and deserves to be noted. But citizens don't feel percentages - they feel the paycheck at the end of the month and the prices at the store. If the numbers go up while living standards stand still, then the statistics are accurate, but the story is incomplete.