Large progress has been achieved in the establishment of social dialogue in the country and regulating the minimal salary. More attention should be paid to dealing with the unemployment problem, said Mark Levin, director for Central and Eastern Europe at the International Labor Organization (ILO) after Thursday's meeting with Minister of Labor and Social Policy Spiro Ristovski.

"Progress has been achieved in the implementation of the social dialogue, establishment and functioning of the Economic-Social Council, along with important progress with regards to regulation of the minimal salary. Moreover, several crucial ILO conventions have been ratified", said Levin.

According to him, future focus should be placed on undertaking measures for reduction of unemployment, with emphasis on increase of employment among youth, as well as enhancement of peaceful settlement of disputes.

"We all have a problem with the unemployment and one of the crucial challenges is its overcoming. This could be done through attraction of direct investments, but also preparation of young people for the school-job transition", added Levin.

Ristovski emphasized the ministry would focus on the establishment of a council for peaceful settlement of disputes, aimed at reducing the number of cases before courts and more efficient protection.

He also announced that the Ministry, ILO and the State Statistical Office would conduct a research towards the development a national action plan for employment of young people, which is part of the commitments undertaken in the framework of the high-level political dialogue with the EU.

"The research will analyse education provided to youth, their qualifications, technical skills they possess, improvement of competitiveness, as well as creating balance between the market offer and demand", emphasized Ristovski.

The Ristovski and Levin meeting focused on the implementation of the National Programme for Decent Work, agreed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, trade unions, employers and ILO in 2010.