Informality affects more than a third of workers in Albania, study finds

TIRANA, Jan. 24 – High unemployment rates, especially among youngsters, is the key reason behind alarming levels of the shadow economy in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia, a study by Tirana-based Institute for Democracy and Mediation has found. Whether it is a factory worker who also works as an unlicensed plumber, an electrician being paid in cash, an IT professional receiving an envelope wage, hidden salaries are the most acute concern in the three Western Balkan countries aspiring to join the EU, affecting about half of workers. The study shows undeclared work is one of the main manifestations of the hidden…