TIRANA, March 14 – The Albanian government has increased unemployment benefits for some 5,400 jobless people by 60 percent to 11,000 lek (€89), meeting an International Labour Organization commitment.
“Thanks to the 60 percent increase in the unemployment benefit, Albania also fulfils an obligation arising from the international ILO convention requiring that the unemployment benefit is at least 50 percent of the minimum wage,” said Labour and Social Affairs Minister Blendi Klosi.
Albania’s minimum wage at 22,000 lek (€159)/month is currently among the region’s lowest.
The increase in the employment benefit is also a result of a sharp cut in the number of beneficiaries in the past four years. Albania had some 5,432 people receiving unemployment benefits at the end of 2015 compared to about 10,000 in early 2012, according to INSTAT.
Some 148,000 people are registered as jobless with the country’s employment offices with the unemployment rate reported at 17.3 percent at the end of 2015.
Another 62,000 jobseekers receive modest social assistance of up to 4,633 lek (€34)/month.
Employment offices have been offering vocational training to jobseekers to equip them with skills matching labour market needs.
A new law has also disciplined “lazy” jobseekers by stripping them of their unemployment benefits if they refuse jobs offered by state offices.
