FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
In Albania, only 60% of those who are reported as employed receive a monthly salary, the rest are self-employed without pay, mainly in the family business.
But even those who receive salaries, in large part are in the lowest monthly salary spectrum.
The latest INSTAT data, corresponding to the quarter of the year, show that about 39% of the population is paid up to the minimum wage level. The minimum wage in the month of April 2023 reached the level of 40,000 butos, but the net monthly benefits are 35,520 alleks.
Despite the fact that pressures on the labor market have increased due to the lack of labor force, official salaries, those declared in taxes for the effect of insurance, have recorded a real increase of only 2% compared to the end of the year.
Employment-intensive sectors, the manufacturing industry that produces for export, is experiencing difficulties that are having consequences for employment and wages. The devaluation of the Euro against the Lek is eroding exporters' incomes and their plans for changing wages.
INSTAT reported that in the first 3 months of this year, 21.6% of employees received salaries below the minimum salary level of 36 thousand ALL (minimum salary January-March 2023), while 17.1% of salaried employees received gross monthly payments in between ALL 360 thousand and ALL 40 thousand.
Among salaried employees, the group with the largest weight are employees with salaries of 60,000-95,000 ALL, but this group is represented by employees in the state sector where the average monthly gross salary for the majority is in these ranges.
The group of employees with high salaries above 120,000 thousand per month accounted for 7% of salaried employees in the first quarter with an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2022.
High inflation after the war in Ukraine has reduced wage benefits. In all countries in Europe and the Region, governments and businesses are using wages as an instrument to mitigate the effects of inflation.
Even the Albanian government has such an initiative, it is initially deciding to increase the high salaries of deputies and ministers from 50 to 92%, bringing them to the highest regional levels.
Meanwhile, salaries for the public administration increased in real terms by only 2%, remaining well below regional levels.
On the other hand, the fashion and call center sector, which are the largest employers of salaried employees, are risking bankruptcy from the fall of the Euro, thereby suspending their plans for salary increases./Monitor
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