Greece’s Ta Nea newspaper says high taxes and a soaring cost of living, along with limited opportunities and Greece’s record 27.4 percent unemployment rate are the main reasons of Albanians leaving Greece
TIRANA, July 3 – With Greece already undergoing an exodus of professionals and its young escaping a crushing economic crisis that has shut out their future, prospects are so bleak that even Albanian immigrants who used to get into the country by any means possible are trying to get out, says Greek Reporter. According to the latest report by the Albanian Center for Competitiveness and International Trade (ACIT), 18 to 22 percent of Albanian migrants who lived and worked in Greece have returned in Albania, about some 180,000 people. Greece’s Ta Nea newspaper, noting the phenomenon, reported that high taxes and a soaring cost of living, along with limited opportunities and Greece’s record 27.4 percent unemployment rate were the main reasons.
”The financial crisis forces Albanians of our country to repatriate in a country they have never seen. After a multi-annual stay in Greece, adjustment in the paternal homes is not easy for all Albanians,” the report said. ”Some years ago, the Albanian authorities tried to make the integration process easier for young people that were returning after a long stay in Greece,” the article added. ”Migration offices have been set in every county and the provision of monthly financial allowances of 8,000 Lek (about 60 euros) per family has been established. Just 5 percent of the repatriated asked for and were delivered this amount,” as explained in the newspaper. ACIT stressed out that this return migration wave is expected to put strong pressure to the country’s public services and mostly to the educational and health system. ”Most people seek jobs in arts they learned in Greece” and chiefly in agricultural production, where the biggest part (25 percent) activates. “Given the crisis that hits the neighboring country on other domains, as the constructional (building work and other), most of Albanians – almost Hellenized after so many years of stay in Greece – have to face the extremely big difficulties concerning the healthy settlement and adjustment to the new data, while the cost of ‘failure’ that accompanies and emotionally burdens many of them has to be added in this situation.”
ACIT: Greek crisis, a ‘Social Bomb’ for Albania
A huge wave of migrants returning home, lower trade exchanges, investments and remittances are some of the most obvious impacts the economic crisis in neighbouring Greece, the top investor and second most important trade partner, has had in Albania in the past five years, according to a recent study conducted by The Albanian Centre for Competitiveness and International Trade (ACIT). The study published in late 2012 found that around 180,000 Albanian migrants, or 18 to 22 percent of the total Albanian migrants in Greece, have returned home during the past five years, and there are few advisory and information services for investment and job opportunities.
The report warns Greece’s possible Eurozone exit and its return to drachma would further affect Albanian exports to the neighbouring country and remittances from migrants there.
“As the Greek economy continues to remain in recession and the unemployment figures remain above 22 percent, the Albanian migrants working in Greece that will return to Albania will put under pressure the already fragile health and education system. Albania in the short term cannot increase its social security net or invest in its health system as it is significantly lowering public spending in order to maintain its public debt at less than 60 percent of GDP. This pressure might create room for a ‘social bomb’ in terms of a high demand for service that is poorly funded,” says the report.
Migrant remittances, capital inflows and direct investments, bilateral trade and trade balance have affected by the crisis which since 208 has been facing its worst ever recession.
Returnees are mostly concentrated in south Albania, almost 50% in the districts of Korca, Gjirokastra, Saranda and Fier (60% of those are in rural areas). However, many are seeking accommodation and job opportunities in bigger cities, mainly Tirana and Durres. Around 30 percent of returnees have worked in the construction sector. They have low level of skills or vocational training. Almost 70% of returnees are male with most of them between the ages of 25 and 45.
In terms of reintegration challenges, despite considerable efforts from Albanian institutions, there is a lack of information on institutional practices and procedures. Only a small part requires training (22%) or assistance (5%) and there are few advisory and information services for investment and job opportunities.
Although total remittances have decreased in the last years, remittances from Greece have increased since 2009 due to Albanians withdrawing their savings from Greek banks. Greek FDI to Albania has decreased significantly in the last 5 years, dropping from 53 percent of total FDI in 2006 to 27 percent in 2011. As for trade, Albanian imports from Greece have decreased from 15 percent in 2007 to 11 percent in 2011.
Albanian exports to Greece went from 8.2 percent of total exports in 2007 to 4.9 percent in 2011, falling to fourth trading-partner from second.
