Keeping up with employment compliance laws for your parent company is difficult enough. During an expansion, you also have to learn how to recruit and hire Macedonian employees and figure out which local labor laws you must comply with. This work is all in addition to running your company at home and abroad.
G-P is a global PEO that understands both the benefits and the challenges of an expansion. We’ll work with you from day one to hire talented employees on your behalf, and our team of experts understands Macedonia’s employment compliance laws from front to back. We’re the team you can trust for a quick and easy expansion that takes the stress off your plate.
Recruiting in Macedonia
As critical as it is to understand Macedonian culture and etiquette during the recruitment process, you and your recruiting team should also consider some of the more technical aspects of staffing 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 as the employer.
Your company has a variety of options when it comes to sourcing talent and advertising your 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 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 abroad. Macedonia is one of many countries with legislation in place to prevent discrimination. As an employer, 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 keep from 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 employees.
How to Hire Employees in Macedonia
All Macedonian employees 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. Macedonia employment compliance law requires there to be two copies of the contract – one 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 five years. You 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 Macedonia, you should still check to see if one applies to your industry, as you’ll need to include those terms in an employment contract.
Macedonia Employment Laws
Generally, employees work 40 hours a week — five eight-hour days. Overtime is permitted up to eight 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 Macedonia’s employment compliance laws:
- Publish your job vacancies through daily newspapers, national employment agency publications, or private human resource-specialized agencies
- Select the best candidate for your open job 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 Macedonia
Macedonia will let you onboard employees using a process that works best for you. You should try to make employees more comfortable by providing job training during the onboarding process. It can also make a great first impression to travel to Macedonia for your employee’s first day or week. If you’re short on time, onboarding multiple employees at one time can help you stay productive and encourage team bonding.
Benefits of Hiring Outsourcing in Macedonia
G-P offers Macedonia hiring outsourcing services for employers looking for an easier way to hire talented candidates. We’ll act as the Employer of Record and hire employees that work for your company. Your employees will have a positive hiring experience, and they can start working for you in a few days instead of a few months after you incorporate.
Work With G-P To Expand Globally
Working with G-P will ensure that you meet Macedonia’s employment compliance laws without worrying about the hiring process. Contact us today to get started.