Following rapid double-digit growth in 2021 and 2022, Georgia's economy in this year is continuing on an upward trajectory, albeit at a slower pace compared to the previous two years. In the first half of 2023, there were several positive developments in the Georgian economy, even of these have all come with their own challenges and associated risks – examined within the report in detail. Issue 4 of the Macro Overview thoroughly explores different aspects of the economy in Georgia and beyond, including: Economic Growth; Economic and Business Climate; Key Macroeconomic Indicators; Labor Market; External Sector; Global Economic Trends.

In June 2023, the number of persons receiving a monthly salary increased by 4.7% compared to the corresponding period of 2022. In June 2023, the share of persons receiving a monthly salary of 2,400 GEL and more amounted to 22.6%, which was 5.3 percentage points more compared to the corresponding period of 2022. In 2023, from January to June, the total number of vacancies published on jobs.ge amounted to 42,075, which was 15.0% higher compared to the corresponding period of 2022. In 2023, from January to June, a total of 7,799 vacancies were published in the field of finance and statistics, which was 46.4% higher than the corresponding period of 2022.

In Georgia, the average cost of a room in a 3-star hotel was 186 GEL per night in June 2023, while the average cost of a room in a 4-star hotel in Georgia was 262 GEL per night and the average cost of a room in a guesthouse was 133 GEL per night. The average cost of a room in a 5-star hotel in Georgia in June 2023 was 485 GEL per night. In Guria, the average price was 646 GEL, followed by Kakheti – 556 GEL, Adjara – 516 GEL, and Tbilisi – 512 GEL.

In 2022, the recovery level of international tourist arrivals to Georgia (72%) was higher compared to the averages of the world (63%), and Central/Eastern Europe (59%), yet lower than that of Europe as a whole (80%). The rate of recovery for Georgia accelerated in Q1 of 2023, reaching 96%, above the averages of the world (80%), Europe as a whole (90%), and Central/Eastern Europe (59%). However, among selected comparable countries in which tourism makes a large contribution to the national economy, Georgia’s performance was not so outstanding in 2022. Specifically, high levels of recovery in the number of international tourists were evident in all such nations, with Albania even exceeding its pre-pandemic figure, followed by Greece and Croatia showing a strong rebound, while Georgia performed the worst among these four countries. In a regional context, Turkey and Armenia showed better performance regarding the recovery of international tourist arrivals than Georgia both in 2022 and in Q1 of 2023.  

In this bulletin, we overview the infrastructural losses Ukraine has suffered from the war so far, the plan for rebuilding the country’s trade infrastructure, the dynamics of Ukraine’s international trade, the facilitation of exports, and the strengthening of the country’s economic resilience with the assistance of external actors.

The main findings of the survey of Georgian economists conducted in the second quarter of 2023 are: Georgian economists have a positive assessment of Georgia’s present economic situation. Though their predictions for Georgia’s economic situation for the next six months are negative. 63% of the surveyed economists think that Russia’s war on Ukraine as well as labor market problems like skills mismatch and labor shortage (lack of qualified personnel) currently represent a high or very high threat to the Georgian economy. More than one year since Russia launched its war on Ukraine, nearly half (47%) of the surveyed economists claimed they are uncertain about how to assess the overall impact of the war on the Georgian economy. Almost 90% of the economists agree with the decision of National Bank of Georgia (announced on 10 May, 2023) to loosen its monetary policy and decrease the policy rate by 0.5 percentage points from 11% to 10.5%.

In May 2023, the number of persons receiving a monthly salary increased by 7.0% compared to the corresponding period of 2022. In May 2023, the share of persons receiving a monthly salary of 2,400 GEL and more amounted to 21.3%, which was 4.7 percentage points more compared to the corresponding period of 2022. From December 2022 to May 2023, the total number of vacancies published on jobs.ge amounted to 39,630, which was 17.6% higher compared to the corresponding period of 2021- 2022. From December 2022 to May 2023, a total of 10,495 vacancies were published in sales, procurement, which was 11.2% higher compared to the corresponding period of 2021-2022.

The Business Association of Georgia (BAG) Index is a joint product of the Business Association of Georgia, PMC Research and the ifo Institute for Economic Research. The BAG Index summarizes the BAG Business Climate, BAG Employment Barometer and BAG Investment Environment, which are calculated according to the assessments of the top managers of BAG member businesses and companies in their corporate group. In Q2 of 2023, additional questions were integrated into the questionnaire to assess the effect of the removal of some industries from the list of sectors with specific operating conditions on businesses. BAG and PMC Research publish the BAG Index on a quarterly basis from Q4 2019. For the previous reports of the BAG Index, please, visit the following link: https://bag.ge/ge/bag-index  

In Georgia, the average cost of a room in a 3-star hotel was 166 GEL per night in May 2023, while the average cost of a room in a 4-star hotel in Georgia was 270 GEL per night and the average cost of a room in a guesthouse was 124 GEL per night. The average cost of a room in a 5-star hotel in Georgia in May 2023 was 409 GEL per night. In Guria, the average price was 584 GEL, followed by Tbilisi – 515 GEL, Kakheti – 354 GEL, and Adjara – 369 GEL.

In Q1 of 2023, 1.05 million passengers were transported by airline companies in Georgia, which is 3.3% higher compared to the corresponding pre-pandemic (Q1 of 2019) figure. Despite significant YoY growth, the number of passengers traveling to and from Tbilisi airport did not fully recover to pre-pandemic levels (-11% compared to Q1 of 2019), while the number of passengers traveling through Kutaisi and Batumi airports exceeded pre-pandemic numbers significantly. Throughout the winter season of 2022-2023, regular flights to and from Georgian airports were provided by 41 airlines on 61 routes. The average number of flights per week over this period was 390, which is 6% lower compared to the scheduled weekly flights for the winter season of 2018-2019. In the summer season of 2023, the number of airlines is expected to rise to 43, while the number of routes is expected to increase to 88. The average number of weekly flights will reach 555, which is 42.3% higher compared to the previous season, and 5.9% lower compared to the number of scheduled flights in the summer season of 2019.