Employment structure 2003-2023, Albania in the top 10 countries for skilled occupations

2025-11-07 07:44:00, Ekonomi CNA

Employment structure 2003-2023, Albania in the top 10 countries for skilled

The growth of high-skilled jobs in Albania has been slower and weaker than in the Region from 2002-2023, according to a World Bank study for the Southeast Europe and Asia (ECA) Region.

For Albania, the data show a noticeable shift from manual to lower-skilled jobs in the service sector, without a significant increase in skilled occupations. Jobs with basic skills have expanded by 15% while those with higher education skills have expanded by only 5% in two decades.

The graph below shows that Albania has experienced the largest decline in routine manual jobs, that is, traditional physical jobs that do not require much qualification, such as in agriculture or light industry. These developments coincide with the transition of the Albanian economy from agriculture to services after the 2000s.

At the same time, an increase in jobs in low-skilled occupations has been observed, which means an increase in jobs in trade, cleaning, personal care or transportation, i.e. in sectors with low productivity and low wages.

On the other hand, jobs for professionals or managers have seen very little growth, which shows that the Albanian economy has not managed to create large numbers of skilled jobs, even though it has shifted away from agriculture. For the category of “technicians” and “routine” jobs (such as administration or office work), growth is limited to no more than 5% over 2002-2023.

The analysis shows that Albania has moved from an agricultural economy to a low-skill service-based economy, without yet reaching the stage of modernization that characterizes the most developed countries in the region. The increase in simple jobs, replacing manual labor, points to a structural transformation that is still incomplete and with untapped potential in productivity and wages.

Occupations requiring higher education, analytical skills, and managerial responsibility have hardly changed during the period 2002–2023 and are lower than in countries like Romania, Poland, Serbia, or Croatia, where the share of these occupations has expanded significantly over the last two decades.

While other countries in the region have experienced a transformation towards knowledge-based economies, where the weight of managerial, IT or financial sector professions is increasing, Albania has remained mainly in the phase of low-level services and routine jobs, with very little creation of jobs requiring higher education.

The change in employment structure over two decades shows that Albania's transition to a service economy has expanded in number of employees, but not in quality or skill level.

Romania, Poland and Turkey have seen significant growth in jobs for professionals and technicians, i.e. sectors with high productivity.

Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia have followed an intermediate model, with a decrease in manual jobs but a more limited increase in skilled occupations.

Albania, Bosnia and Bulgaria are among the countries that have experienced a sharp decline in routine-manual jobs, but without compensating for this loss with an increase in highly skilled jobs.

The structure of jobs in Albania shifted to low-cost, low-productivity sectors, such as trade, tourism, and transport. Compared to countries in the region, technological progress and the growth of professional skills are still slow.

This pattern of changing employment structure indicates the need for educational and economic policies that promote employment in value-added sectors, such as technology, professional services, education and innovation./ Monitor