Today, the ZIP Institute marked the conclusion of the MERIT Project: Mapping Employment Risks and Improving Transparency, funded by SELDI and the European Union. The project examined recruitment practices in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in North Macedonia, combining qualitative research and institutional review to assess how hiring functions in both law and practice.
The findings highlight persistent challenges—opacity, informal influence, and weak implementation—that undermine public trust, institutional credibility, and fair access to employment. Given the central role SOEs play in sectors such as energy and public utilities, these issues pose risks to good governance, long-term capacity, and youth retention.
In response, the project proposes implementation-focused reforms centered on institutional partnership. A core recommendation is a human capital development framework linking education to SOE employment through a merit-based scholarship, internship, and recruitment pipeline. As a next step, the ZIP Institute is working toward a pilot partnership with MEPSO and the Ministry of Education. If successful, the model could be scaled in line with EU standards to strengthen professionalism, reduce political influence in hiring, and retain highly qualified young professionals in North Macedonia’s public sector.
The event was covered by Tv21 found here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1739867274064721/?share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fv%2F181hCGaZXG%2F&rdid=LPXZlmS9bemz1tGX
Photographed are experts: Merita Zulfiu-Alili, Dean, South East European University (SEEU); Darko Petrovski, President, Macedonian HR Association; Kristina Jovanova, OSCE Mission to Skopje; Erald Bezhani, Rule of Law; along with Project Manager Layla Weiss. Additional experts include Marjan Kelemen, UNDP; and Misha Popovikj, Good Governance Program, Institute for Democracy Skopje – IDSCS.
