03 January 2019 - During his official visit to Bijelo Polje, Prime Minister Duško Marković highlighted that he believes that 2019 will be the year of wage growth in both public and private sectors and that this growth should be a consequence of Montenegro's economic growth and economic success.
When asked to comment on the consequences of his statement made late last year at the Chamber of Commerce, when the PM called on employers and owners of companies to transfer some of the profits to salaries of employees, the Prime Minister noted that he has already received positive feedback signals.
On this occasion, Marković said that he took the opportunity to raise an important issue concerning the quality of life of all citizens of Montenegro, especially the employees of the companies above. In fact, over the previous two years, the Government has been dedicated to creating essential conditions for accelerated development, the growth of the economy and new jobs creation. In 2017, the Montenegrin economy grew at a rate of 4.7%, and 4.8% in the first nine months of 2018, and the state created 11000 new jobs. According to administrative data, the registered unemployment rate in Montenegro fell from 21% to 17.2%, whereas the LFS-based unemployment rate fell from 21% to 14.1%. “Therefore, the year 2019 has to be the year of continuation of such a trend, but also of the improvement of the living standards of citizens in Montenegro, and especially the employees, not only in the public administration, but in the private sector as well," said the Prime Minister.
Marković added that the data he previously explained is the reason he told employers and owners of companies that Montenegro has improved the business ambience, created conditions for the profit of their companies, but that some of that profit should now be passed on to the standard of employees.
The PM is hopeful that 2019 will be the year of wage growth for employees in both public and private sectors, that in 2019 Montenegro will create preconditions for the growth of pensions and that 2019 will bring improvement of living standards for employees in education, and other sectors. “We will do everything to put the grey economy under control, to make people pay taxes and contribute to the State, thus creating the conditions for transferring part of that profits that Montenegro creates from the growth of its economy into citizens' pockets," Prime Minister Duško Marković stressed.
