PMCG, as a subcontractor to DAI Global, is implementing this USAID-funded 5-year program, which aims to improve public financial management (PFM) through boosting the revenue raising system, streamlining the budget management process, optimizing public expenditure management, and assisting in cross-cutting PFM reform.
PMCG is working on the optimization of public expenditure management by supporting improvements to public procurement management through enhancing the organizational system by improving its structure, operation, and workforce, and developing and integrating the procurement system, the inventory system, and the GFMIS.
Objective I. Public Procurement Process Institutionalization:
With respect to the last point, the project team will work with the Government Procurement Department (GPD) and other Jordanian institutions to design and roll-out a broad-based training program for procurement officers in Jordan, auditors, investigators, and private sector users. The project team will work collaboratively with Jordan’s partners to develop a curriculum, identify potential master trainers, train the trainers, and roll-out training to high-priority line ministries and government agencies.
Objective II. Inventory Management Improvement:
On May 23, PMC Research Center (PMC RC) in association with ISET Policy Institute under the USAID Georgia Economic Security Program (GESP) conducted a presentation of the final report of the project entitled “Sector and Value Chain Analytics.”
On May 13-14, we conducted a presentation for the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia (MoESD), outlining the main findings, challenges, outcomes, and recommendations stemming from the project entitled “Training and Consultation Support (TCS) in Public Policy to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.” The project is being implemented under UNDP’s initiative “Supporting Public Administration Reform in Georgia – Phase 2” and is funded by the UK government.
On May 5, PMC Research Center in collaboration with the Georgian Center for Strategy and Development (GCSD) conducted a presentation and panel discussion entitled “Assessment of the Effectiveness of Sanctions Against Russia.”
On May 3, we participated in an event entitled “Diversified and Inclusive Civil Service” and presented the findings of the “Taking Stock of Ethnic Minority Participation in the Public Service” research, aimed at assessing the representation of ethnic minorities, in particular Azeri- and Armenian-speaking groups in the civil service and identifying barriers that limit their active engagement in this sector.
PMCG recently started working on a new project entitled “Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on Economic Reforms - Tax Dispute Resolution” which is being implemented within the USAID Economic Governance Program and is aimed at addressing the current shortcomings of the tax dispute resolution (TDR) system and to align it with good international practices, ultimately leading to the realization of a fair, effective, and efficient TDR system.
In April 2022, the number of persons receiving a monthly salary increased by 3% compared to the corresponding period of 2021 and by 15% compared to the corresponding period of 2020. From November 2021 to April 2022, the total number of vacancies published on jobs.ge amounted to 32,301, which was 81% higher compared to the corresponding period of 2020-2021 and 69% higher compared to the corresponding period of 2019-2020. From November 2021 to April 2022, a total of 9,112 vacancies were published in the field of sales/procurement, which was 109% higher than the corresponding period of 2020-2021 and 82% higher compared to the corresponding period of 2019-2020.
In recent years strengthening vocational education and training (VET) has been among the top priorities of Georgia’s education strategy. In the process, several important reforms have been undertaken including the establishment of the “Vocational Skills Agency”, with the primary goal of increasing private sector participation in VET, and amendments to the rules regarding the authorization of VET institutions, which are widely believed to improve the quality of education. Moreover, specific goals were set under the “2021-2025 Vocational Education Strategy” such as increasing the number of VET students to support the country’s socio-economic development, ensuring their competitiveness by developing professional and general skills, and providing lifelong educational opportunities. The following bulletin discusses the trends of development in VET in Georgia over the last five years.
This paper explores the challenges and opportunities teleworking presents in the rural areas of Georgia and seeks answers on how to resolve the existing problems while taking advantage of the transitions the labor market is undergoing. It aims to analyze the institutional relationships, barriers, and opportunities to promoting change in the e-work market or workforce development system in the rural areas of Georgia. The paper also sets out to identify the potential policy interventions that could be taken to support this change.
This quarterly report provides an analysis of economic trends, as well as denoting the challenges and opportunities (in local, regional, and global contexts) in selected value chains within six sectors to improve evidence-based decision-making by providing quality information and analytics. The specific sectors covered are tourism; creative industries; light manufacturing; shared intellectual services; solid waste management and recycling; and cross-cutting sectors. The analysis tracks trends from the third quarter of 2021.
In 2021, the recovery of international tourist arrivals to Georgia (31% of 2019 figure) was lower both compared to European (38%) and Central/Eastern European (36%) averages, but higher compared to the global average (28%). Among the selected international benchmark countries (Albania, Croatia, and Greece), Georgia performed the worst, while Albania almost recovered to 2019 levels (89%). Compared to its neighboring countries, Georgia performed worse than Turkey (55%) and Armenia (46%), but better than Azerbaijan (25%).