Alarm: Half of Albanians want to leave the country

Half of Albanians are considering leaving and working abroad. The tendency to escape is increasing year-on-year according to polls the Balkan Barometer made.

Survey results showed that during the past year 48 percent of Albanians wanted to leave the country, while this year this category reached 50.

Albanians and Bosniaks rank first in the region with a high desire to leave the country. But unlike Albania in Bosnia, the pace of wanting to leave the country has declined in the past three years. In 2015, 58% of Bosniaks wanted to live and work abroad, while in 2017 they wanted to leave 50%. In Albania in 2015, 38% of Albanians wanted to leave the country, while in 2017, 50 percent wanted to leave the country.

Albania's efforts rose significantly after the removal of visas. Travels to Europe became common for all walks of life, so the tendency to emigrate has increased in the search for a better life. Visa removal has had a similar effect in Rajon, but not in the same measure as in our country. Albania has the lowest income per capita and is among the poorest countries in Rion.

According to EUROSTAT in the second quarter of this year, 6,000 Albanians recently applied for asylum, ranking the sixth after the Middle East and African countries for the high number of asylum seekers.

The number of Albania's demands was higher compared to the first quarter where 5400 of them were listed. In all, the number of Albanian asylum seekers in the EU for the first six-month 2017 reached 11,400 people.

The World Bank's surveys, INSTAT and other government organisations show that the fundamental reason for the migration of Albanian citizens is economic. Profiled field organizations analyze that migration as a mass phenomenon occurs after political systems fall, such as the 1990s or after economic crises, such as the 1997 one. But the main factor of systematic bleeding is the insufficient trust of citizens in local governments that economic conditions will improve in the future.

The peak age population of migration will grow over the next ten years. Almost neutral migration balance is expected to occur only in 2030, according to INSTAT.

But experts explain that everything will be dependent on the country's economic development compared to other European countries. The present predictions do not expect that to happen before 2031. The World Bank has referenced that the standard of living to reach EU countries will be extended even more if the country does not increase at 4% rates. Unemployment among young people in Albania is over 28% currently. While the average wage rate is well below EU countries, lack of perspective is seen as fundamental./ Monitor