Employment and prospective occupations were the subjects of lively debate at the recent economic forum that took place in Davos in January 2024. Globally, the transition of economies to green standards will generate an additional 69 million jobs. In the meanwhile, technological advancements and economic recessions pose a threat to the other 83 million available jobs.

On April 4th, ISET Policy Institute hosted a public seminar with discussions centered around air pollution, poverty, and equity in Tbilisi. Led by Alan Fuchs and Sandra Baquie from the Poverty and Equity Global Practice at the World Bank, the public seminar titled 'Poverty and Distributional Consequences of Air Pollution in Tbilisi' provided a platform for in-depth exploration and dialogue on this pressing issue.

In March 2024, the average cost of cooking one standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri stood at 6.40GEL. This latest average price marks a -1.8% decrease compared to March 2023. Additionally, in month-to-month developments, the price of khachapuri decreased by -6.4% compared to the previous month (February 2024).

Similar to the year 2022, Georgia stayed on the path of economic recovery from COVID-19 in 2023 as well. According to GeoStat’s preliminary estimates, the real GDP continues to show a relatively high growth rate, measuring at 7.5% y/y in 2023 – which is remarkably higher than the NBG’s real GDP growth expectation of 6% from October 2023.

In June 2023, responding to appeals from the Georgian Flour Producers Association, the Georgian government imposed a temporary import duty on wheat flour imported from Russia. This advocacy by the Association began after Russia implemented a “floating tariff” on wheat in 2021, making wheat imports more expensive compared to wheat flour.