TIRANA, June 23 – Returning migrants in Albania are struggling to find a place in the labor market, as the majority is unemployed or working illegally in their own country.
A study by World Vision Albania and the Albanian Center for Economic Research conducted as part of the project “Reintegration of Returnees from Immigration and Investment for them in Albania” points out that 59 percent of returning migrants are working illegally, while 68.9 percent are unemployed. Furthermore, only 41 percent of returning migrants are insured by their employer, and a significant amount live below or on minimum wage; 36 percent claimed that their families’ average incomes range between 10,100-25,000 ALL / month.
The study involved 190 returning migrants, 107 of whom were females and 83 of whom were males. In the survey, 120 returnees live in the city and 70 returnees live in the countryside.
The report notes also that over 70 percent of returning migrants believe that three main services should be considered a priority to help with their reintegration: housing, facilitating employment through the Regional Office of Labor and providing information on public services that benefit returning migrants.
Moreover, 7.9 percent of returning migrants in Albania do not rule out the possibility of migrating again. The main reasons stated in the report are related to employment; 50 percent seek to migrate again due to current unemployment, 36.8 percent believe that better employment opportunities can be found by migrating and 33.2 percent believe they can secure a safer future for their children.
Immigration has been considered as a worrying phenomenon in Albania, as more are leaving each year with no intent to return. During a ten-year period, from 2008 to 2018, 44 percent of the Albanian population migrated to the European Union, taking the lead in the Western Balkan region.
