Dragan Jeli?, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, pointed out that the aim is to jumpstart the digitalization of the Croatian economy, a process of transformation that has taken up additional speed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeli? stated: “For micro and small entrepreneurs, the digitalization of business and the acquisition of appropriate skills represents a significant challenge. That is why, in cooperation with Google and Algebra as the workshop provider, we have provided free support to our users. We are talking about more than 20,000 users who represent a completely new generation of entrepreneurs who will continue doing business in the "new normal", where digital business and digital skills are the basis for success. “

Ante Lon?ar, Head of the Croatian Employment Service, also took part in the launching of the initiative, stating that the Croatian Employment Service has participated in the Digital Garage project with the Ministry of Labor, Google and Algebra by organizing a Digital Marketing workshop to provide the current and future workforce with digital skills useful to small and medium-sized enterprises. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown have had a negative impact on the economy and the challenges faced by the private sector are only increasing with the arrival of the second wave of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the current situation has also created new opportunities as consumers are turning to the Internet and thus increasing the need to speed up the digital transformation of business

The technology that has allowed us to work and study remotely and use different Internet services can play a significant role in aiding small and medium-sized enterprises to survive the crisis and boost their sales afterwards. However, not all companies are ready for such a rapid change as the main obstacle remains a lack of knowledge, skills and tools.

Reference Link: https://www.algebra.hr/visoko-uciliste/en/grow-croatia-with-google-new-initiatve-from-google-for-economic-development/