FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The shortage of employees has increased pressures on the labor market, especially after the pandemic, driving wage increases in both the public and private sectors.
This increase also applies to the median salary, which reached 66,545 lek gross per month and 54,341 net. This means that 50% of employed Albanians earn less than this amount and the other 50% earn more.
In fact, the median salary is the most accurate indicator of what an ordinary citizen earns, unlike the average salary which is often inflated by the very high salaries of a minority.
Between 2022 and 2025, the median wage increased by about 48%, driven mainly by the strong increase in the minimum wage in this period that has impacted the median of low wages.
The performance of wages has followed a continuous upward trajectory, but with rates that accelerated significantly after 2023. During 2022, the median wage increase was more moderate, closing at the level of 48,940 lek. However, 2023 marked a turning point, where for the first time the median exceeded the psychological threshold of 50,000 lek, mainly due to the increase in the official minimum wage to 40 thousand lek.
This momentum continued throughout 2024, a period in which salaries stabilized above 58,000 lek, culminating in 2025 with the crossing of the 60,000 lek threshold. During the year alone, the median salary increased by over 5,000 lek, demonstrating a market reaction to the labor shortage.
While this is positive news for employees, some low-value-added sectors, such as the garment industry or basic services, are facing difficulties in maintaining profit margins due to the rising bill for labor costs, which is now being dictated by the market and not just by administrative decisions on the minimum wage.
However, Albania is still characterized by a high level of informality in declaring real wages in the private sector. To avoid fiscal obligations on wages, some sectors such as shift work are still considered high-risk in declaring real wages. Although wages are often higher than the minimum level, insurance is paid at the minimum level approved by the government.
The Albanian economy is still dominated by labor-based sectors, so wages are being seen as a means to maintain the production or service base./Monitor
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