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Albania should transform its economic structure to keep young people in the country

2026-06-20 07:28:00, Ekonomi CNA

Albania should transform its economic structure to keep young people in the

Demographic experts Ilir Gëdeshi and Russell King conclude that to keep young people in the country, Albania needs a transformation of its production structure, in terms of expanding the economic base, increasing added value, and creating sustainable and qualified jobs.

Such a structure would expand business, employment and income opportunities, increasing perceptions of more positive economic and social prospects in the country, especially among young people and the more educated segments of the population.

The transformation would simultaneously create the conditions for more efficient investment of emigrants' savings and remittances, encourage their return, and facilitate the circulation of human capital between Albania and the diaspora.

According to them, the realization of this process requires policies oriented towards sectors with high development potential and quality employment.

Secondly, according to them, Albania needs a sustainable increase in public spending (as a percentage of GDP) in education and culture, health and science, environmental protection and infrastructure development.

These areas, and especially education, constitute not only the basis of long-term development, but are also key factors that directly influence migration decision-making, especially of young people and professionals.

Experts argue that public policies in education should be oriented towards increasing quality, internationalization and its connection to the labor market. The priority would be the progressive increase in funding for higher education and scientific research, accompanied by competitive mechanisms for financing universities and research projects.

In parallel, joint research and teaching programs with European universities and academic mobility schemes that also include the Albanian scientific diaspora can be developed, facilitating the transfer of knowledge and raising academic standards.

Experts believe that strengthening links between universities and the private sector through professional internships, university incubators, and partnerships with industry would increase graduate employability and improve professional prospects for young people in the country.

Mr. Gëdeshi and Mr. King suggest that Albania needs a system built on meritocracy and transparency, where educational and professional progress is conditioned by qualification, work, and performance, and not by nepotism, politics, or corruption.

They advise that Albania should promote the return and reintegration of migrants, drawing on international best practices. Return policies should aim not only at physical repatriation, but also at economic integration.

The experience of several European countries shows that return policies are more effective when accompanied by concrete measures for the professional and economic integration of returnees, including support for employment, entrepreneurship and investment.

In parallel, special schemes for the return of qualified professionals can be developed, including accelerated recognition of qualifications, temporary fiscal relief, and programs for professional integration in priority sectors such as health, education, information technology, and public administration.

Such measures would contribute to transforming return migration into a mechanism for the transfer of knowledge and human capital, linking the diaspora more closely to the economic and institutional development of the country, asserts Mr. Gëdeshi.

Such measures, according to them, would strengthen the link between circular migration and the country's economic development, facilitating the regular circulation of labor between Albania and host countries.

In the short and medium term, some priority measures would be to map the professional and entrepreneurial diaspora in the main host countries, create digital platforms for communication and mediation with institutions and the labor market in Albania, and develop programs for the engagement of diaspora experts in public administration, universities, and strategic sectors.

These measures would enable the Albanian diaspora to transition from a traditional role as a source of remittances to a more strategic role as an actor in the development, innovation and internationalization of the Albanian economy./ Monitor