For a career, better pay and better living conditions. These are the main reasons for the departure of Albanians, as evidenced in the Global Migration Report for 2024, compiled by the International Organization for Migration. Albania has mainly lost its skilled but also low-skilled workforce, the report highlights. “About 40 percent of Albania’s workforce is estimated to be working abroad, contributing to the brain drain and putting pressure on local industries and economies that are constantly losing workers in both low- and high-skilled sectors,” the report says.
The report also highlighted the illegal immigration of Albanians to the United Kingdom, risking their lives in the English Channel in small boats or dinghies.
The emigration of Albanians has produced negative consequences in the country, as there is a lack of employees, the productivity of the economy is being affected and on the other hand the pension scheme is ‘suffering’ due to contributors. The very businesses that have been stingy with salaries, as the average salary in the private sector in the country has remained at less than 700 euros, are trying to fill the gap created by the lack of employees with foreign workers mainly from third countries. Official figures show that in Albania there are currently 9 thousand foreigners employed in Albanian businesses, mainly in tourism, construction and wholesale trade. They are mainly from countries such as Turkey, Bangladesh, India and Nepal.