Seasonal employment on the coast is heating up, employees with salaries up to 250 thousand lek are sought

From Shkëmbi i Kavajës, to Vlora, Qeparo, Dhërmi and even Ksamil, businesses are offering jobs for various positions in the service sector with salaries reaching up to 250 thousand lek per month, according to a series of announcements published online by the Employment Agency Interest Motivation Power (IPM).

The epicenter of the offer with the highest salaries for seasonal employment is Dhërmi. Businesses are seeking workers for various positions with salaries ranging from 120 thousand lek to 250 thousand lek per month.

The highest paid position is for the general chef and sushi chef, with a maximum salary of 220 thousand to 250 thousand lek per month. The lowest paid compared to other positions in Dhërmi is the head of the hall with a monthly salary of 120 thousand lek to 150 thousand lek.

The offer is expanded further by businesses in Vlora, Qeparo, Saranda to Shkêmbi i Kavaja. In Qeparo, one of the highest salaries is for a pizza chef, where 1,800 to 2,000 euros are offered per month, while bartenders benefit up to 150,000 lek per month.

In Vlora, salaries for pizzerias reach up to 200,000 lek per month, while in Saranda, chefs earn up to 200,000 lek per month.

In Ksamil and other coastal areas such as Himara, Qerret or Shkëmbi i Kavajë, positions for waiters, cleaners and hotel managers also have salaries ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 lek per month.

For all job positions, in addition to salary, accommodation and meals are provided.

Representatives of the IMP Employment Agency, present in the market for several years, claimed that the salaries offered this tourist season for seasonal employment are higher compared to previous years.

According to them, the increase in wages is influenced by the high supply of seasonal employment compared to the more limited demand.

"There is interest not only from young people, but also from older people up to 58 years old. Applications are open and employment can occur within 2 days," the IPM agency emphasizes.

Enri Jahja, the president of the Association of Bars and Restaurants, also previously told Monitor that the increase in salaries for service sector employees in bars and restaurants on the coast has continued this year, with an average of 10 to 20%.

According to him, salaries in the south for positions such as waiter, bartender or professional cocktail preparation range from 120 thousand to 200 thousand lek per month.

Jahja said that this wage increase is a consequence of a broken balance between demand and supply in the labor market, where demand is low and in many cases without professional training, while supply is high.

Also, the salaries offered by businesses in coastal areas are higher than the references published by the tax administration.

According to the list published by the Tax Office, the minimum salary for waiters in restaurants, bars and hotels should not be less than 70,000 lek per month. For the position of cook/head chef, the reference salary is 140 thousand lek. For restaurant managers, the reference salary is 100 thousand lek and hotel managers, 110 thousand lek.

Despite wage increases, the bar and restaurant sector continues to suffer from a labor shortage. Many businesses are looking to hire workers from abroad, with workers from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan as a solution, although many see Albania as a transit country to EU countries.

In the last 2-3 years, the bar and restaurant sector has been among the most affected by the lack of labor, also referring to the data of the Çelësi index for job announcements. In 2022, it turned out that there were 45,670 job announcements. Compared to 2021, their number increased by 14%.

While in 2023, according to the Bar and Restaurant Association, the industry lacked 15,000 employees during the tourist season. This industry marked the highest number of vacancies, after the fashion sector due to emigration./ Monitor

Salaries offered by businesses for seasonal employment on the coast

- Sushi chef: 200,000 - 220,000 lek/month

-Piccier: 150,000 - 200,000 lek/month

-Hall Manager: 120,000 - 150,000 lek/month

-Chef: 150,000 - 250,000 lek/month

Waiter: 80,000 - 120,000 lek/month

Bartender: 120,000 - 150,000 lek/month

Price: 1,800 - 2,000 euros/month

Chef: 200,000 lek/month

Sanitary: 80,000 - 100,000 lek/month

Bartender: 60,000 - 70,000 lek/month

Hotel manager: 150,000 - 200,000 lek/month.