INSTAT data show the main contribution to the lower unemployment rates was given by the private non-agricultural sector which hired 9,474 people compared to the first quarter of 2011
TIRANA, Sept. 5 – Albania’s official unemployment rate dropped to 13.26 percent in the second quarter of 2011, down from 13.78 during the same period in 2010 and 13.43 percent in the first quarter of 2011, according to data published by the country’s Institute of Statistics this week. INSTAT data show the main contribution to the lower unemployment rates was given by the private non-agricultural sector which hired 9,474 people compared to the first quarter of 2011. The total number of people employed in this sector at the end of June 2011 reached 257,849 people, up from 242,160 at the end of the first half of 2010, registering an increase of 6.47 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the number of people employed in the state sector dropped for the third quarter in a row to 165,000, down from 165,400 in the previous quarter and 166,500 in the second quarter of 2010. The number of people employed in the private agricultural sector, including rural areas where inhabitants possessing land are automatically calculated as self-employed, remained unchanged at 506,664 people based on the results of a 2009 labor force survey. INSTAT data show that the number of registered jobless people during the second quarter of 2011 dropped to 142,068 down from 142,836 in the previous quarter while the labour force climbed by 8,306 people to 1,071,581. Only 6 percent of the total registered jobless people benefited from unemployment assistance of 6,565 lek (65 USD). The number of unemployment assistance beneficiaries in the final quarter of 2010 dropped to 9,509, some 992 people fewer than the previous quarter. Labor Ministry data published by INSTAT show the majority of registered unemployed are jobseekers who have only finished compulsory education. Slightly more than 62,000 others had finished high school while only 3,763 unemployed people were reported to hold a university degree. A considerable number of registered jobless people– some 9,000– are minors aged from 15 to 19 years old, followed by the age group of 21 to 34 years with 52,560 jobseekers. What’s characteristic about the Albanian unemployment rate is that during the past 10 years it has been dominated by long-term unemployment which ranged from 89.6 percent in 2000 to an average of 92 percent until the end of 2009, INSTAT says. Labor unions and the opposition claim the real unemployment rate is at least twice as high as what state institutions like INSTAT and the government officially declare. “The real unemployment rate in Albania varies from 22 to 34 percent based on regions and professions but always counting as employed even seasonal workers or homeworkers,” said the Confederation of Trade Unions recently. Informal work arrangements remain widespread across most economic activities. Female participation and employment rates are significantly lower than for males, while unemployment is higher, said the European Commission in its latest report on Albania. Regional comparison shows Albania’s official unemployment rate at 13.5 percent at the end of December 2010 to be far better compared to Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. In its revised 2012-2013 macroeconomic frameowrk, government also expects the unemployment rate to drop from 13.3 percent in 2010 to 12.7 percent in 2011 and 9.3 percent in 2014.
