Wages in construction and tourism are increasing more, but their level remains below average.

2025-06-12 07:50:00, Ekonomi CNA

Wages in construction and tourism are increasing more, but their level remains

The labor market in Albania is experiencing high dynamism in terms of wages and demand for employees in sectors such as construction and trade and tourism.

This year, the sectors with the highest wage growth rates are construction, trade, hotels and restaurants. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the wage in construction from 58,706 lek in the first quarter of 2024 reached 68,221 lek, with an increase of 16.2%, the highest among all activities. Likewise, the trade and accommodation sector has marked an increase of 15.3%, rising from 58,506 lek in January-March 2024 to 67,485 lek.

This increase comes at a time when both sectors have an increasingly high demand for labor, driven by the expansion of the construction sector and the increase in tourism activity in the country. However, despite the growing demand, salaries in these sectors remain below the national average, reflecting a mismatch between market needs and financial rewards for employees. In the first quarter of 2025, the average salary in construction was 17% lower than the average. While salaries in trade, hotels and restaurants were 18% lower than the national average.

The latest INSTAT data for the first quarter of 2025 show that the average gross monthly salary in Albania reached 82,210 lekë, increasing by 11.6% compared to the same period in 2024 (73,641 lekë). This increase is part of a trend across all economic sectors, however, inequalities between them remain large.

At the top of the list remain financial and insurance activities, with an average salary of 142,435 lek, followed by information and communication 121,465 lek, and public administration and social services 98,505 lek. These fields not only offer high salaries, but have also maintained an increasing growth rate throughout 2024 and early 2025 at 10-12%.

Beyond the overall increase in wages, the data highlights a marked inequality between sectors. Agriculture, for example, remains the sector with the lowest salary, only 44,598 lek per month, despite a large part of the economically active population still being engaged in this field. Furthermore, the construction and industry sectors have lower salaries than the national average.

Wage increases were present in all sectors, reflecting pressures from labor shortages in some sectors and competition from wage increases in the public sector./ Monitor.al