The Government has adopted the 2016 Operational Employment Plan, which should provide 13,500 jobs, 8,700 of them direct ones, Vice-Premier for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski told reporters on Saturday.

The government has earmarked MKD 710 million (about EUR 11,5m) for realizing the plan, which includes measures and training to all jobless persons, registered in the Employment Service Agency. The plan was drafted by teams of several state intuitions, experts, international partners and organizations, such as the UNDP and USAID, Pesevski said.

The plan's main objective is naturally to cut the unemployment rate in Macedonia. By implementing numerous complementary policies and social measures, the Government has since 2007 succeeded to bring the unemployment rate from the record high 38 percent to 26,8 percent, namely to cut it for 11 percent, Pesevski said.

The plan foresees further implementation of some old measures and promotes new ones, Labor and Social Policy Minister Dime Spasov said.

It is very important that the 2016 plan is also covering vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, who have difficulties to get a job, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton said.

UNDP has been supporting the Operational Employment Plan since its launch in 2007. Considering the plan's success, It should serve as an example to governments of other countries about how they should deal with the unemployment, she said.