About the ILO in Albania

High youth inactivity needs to be addressed


Since the fall of the Iron Curtain Albania grew from one of the poorest countries in Europe in the 1990s to an upper middle income country.  Albania’s employment has continued to increase. The country has the highest employment rate among Western Balkan economies (67% in 2019). But the unemployment remains still significant (12% in 2019). The youth unemployment rate is still high (28 % in 2019) and the high rate of youth not in education, employment nor training (26%) is a cause of concern.

Active labour market policies and programs have been continuously introduced, but they cover only a limited percentage of the unemployed (5.5% in 2017). 42% of the workforce is currently employed in agriculture (2019), mostly in low-skilled and low-productivity jobs, revealing the need for structural changes in the labour market. Almost 30% of all employment in the non-agricultural sector is informal.  In the process of Albania’s political integration the recent key step has been the European Commission’s decision in 2020 to open accession negotiations with EU.  Continue reading