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Even €3 for an hour of work, even Kosovo surpasses Albania for the average salary

Even €3 for an hour of work, even Kosovo surpasses Albania for the average

Not even three euros for an hour of work. That's how much money an Albanian receives on average, whether employed in the state or in the private sector. This figure is five times less than in the countries of the European Union and even lower than in Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Serbia.

Alma, a former teacher who now works in the German public administration, is one of those who has felt the deep contrast in income with other nations.

"I have been in teaching and private very little. I received 35,000 lek per month. For this reason, Albanians flee", she said.

Low wages, which often translate into insufficient income, cause many young people to become discouraged and lose hope and leave for emigration.

"With the income I get, you can just eat bread and drink a coffee. The wages are low and I am thinking of leaving. I aim for Germany", adds the young man.

While evaluating it as the minimum required, labor market experts say that apart from increasing wages, companies should also take steps in other directions.

On the contrary, what has been warned can turn into reality much faster than expected.

More than the lack of work, it is the insufficient income that pushes most Albanians to emigrate. This finding is evidenced in a questionnaire developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, where it turns out that about 79 percent of them leave for the West for higher wages.

Albania currently has the lowest average salary in the European Region at around 468 euros, almost 2 times less than Serbia and Montenegro and significantly less than the European Union./ A2 CNN

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