The 2024 Global Migration Report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) unveils a stark reality: nearly 40% of Albania’s workforce has sought opportunities abroad, leaving behind a nation grappling with severe labour shortages. What does this mean for the country’s economic and social fabric? The departure of both skilled and unskilled workers is straining industries, depleting human capital, and exacerbating the long-standing issue of brain drain.
The report underscores the underlying causes—low wages, limited career advancement, and the pursuit of a better quality of life. With the average salary in Albania lagging behind its regional counterparts, many young professionals see little incentive to remain. As a result, vital sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and services are struggling to sustain productivity. Businesses, in a desperate attempt to fill the void, are increasingly turning to foreign workers, with over 9,000 currently employed in Albania, predominantly from Turkey, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.
Yet, migration is not always a tale of structured opportunities; for many, it is a perilous journey. The report sheds light on the alarming trend of illegal migration, where countless Albanians, in pursuit of stability and prosperity, risk their lives to cross the English Channel in overcrowded boats. Such desperate measures reflect not only economic hardship but also the disillusionment with the state’s capacity to provide a viable future.
Albania and Moldova stand among the most affected nations by this exodus, their labour markets dwindling under the weight of outward migration. High poverty rates, entrenched corruption, wage disparities, and the erosion of meritocracy are all contributing factors. Can Albania afford to lose its brightest minds and most capable hands? The report urges immediate and strategic reforms to improve working conditions, incentivize talent retention, and create a sustainable future that offers hope within, rather than beyond, national borders.
Written by our correspondent A.T.
