Heavy situation, over 1 million Kosovars capable of work -- 350,000 employed

This high unemployment rate, about 900 thousand, is even higher than in all neighboring states.

According to official data from the Statistics Agency, of a total of 1 million and 202 thousand and 89 people -- active working population -- 357 thousand and 95 are employed, while 845 thousand and 394 are unemployed.

While, according to official data in Macedonia, out of a total of 953 thousand and 692 active working populations, 754 thousand and 206 are employed, while 208 thousand and 486 are unemployed.

But although the AKS claims that there are over 1 million and 200 thousand skilled workers, the unemployment rate is still 30.5 percent, according to reports from this Agency in 2017.

Even according to official data from the Pension Savings Fund, active contributors are 349 thousand 529 people, or employed in all sectors.

Against these ASS statistics about the unemployment rate has BSPK chairman Avni Aydin, and macroeconomic professor Musa Limani.

The latter says unemployment is up to 40 percent, while the number of employees in the private and public sector is about 350 thousand.

Professor Limani says what is worst, neither Parliament nor Government, is in the mood to ease unemployment.

And a million and 200 thousand to a million and 400 thousand people who are capable of work, or we call it a labor container, take out of them high school students, students, military and others, still remain an extremely large container of between 800 and 900 thousand... There are over 350 thousand (employees), but that is an extremely small number compared to the number of contacts or the active population in Kosovo. Therefore, it turns out that the Kosovo population really finds itself in a cataclysm and as a social problem, one of the most pronounced is unemployment in youth. What is worse, although it is known that Kosovo has the lowest level of economic development, neither the government nor parliament so far have introduced it to its core to address this problem or ease the unemployment problem”, Limani has said.

He has added that Kosovo is found in an economic-Social chaos. Limani says that as a priority this Government should have the drafting of Kosovo's long-term development strategy in a period of ten years.

Kosovo, according to him, is twice as much developed as Macedonia.

“In terms of employment, we are also about 1.5 times less than the rate of unemployment in Macedonia, so we remain here and which place do we especially want to take in these neighbouring countries, Serbia is more developed, but Serbia, Macedonia, even Montenegro is very high at an employment rate. It means we from the employment rate have the lowest rate in the region, while the unemployment rate is higher. These figures show that we are the most undeveloped country in the region, in Europe, and we entered the world's undeveloped countries”, Limani said.

Limani has also added that the average salary in Kosovo is roughly 490 euros in the public sector, while, according to him, the average salary in Macedonia is much higher than the average salary in Kosovo. While according to official data, the average salary in Macedonia is 541 euros.

The head of the Independent Union of Kosovo Unions, Avni Aydin, has told Kosovo that since the youth who dominate Kosovo, about 80 percent are ready for work, and fail to find jobs in Kosovo.

We in Kosovo are 2728 years old, from this age 80 percent are available for work. However, it is a priority for us, for the Republic of Kosovo, that we have this age compared to the Western Balkans, because our neighbours are older, but unfortunately, our young age has nothing to do with us. They don't find jobs, because our economy has been degraded”, Aydin said.

He has added that the average salary in the private sector is 361 euros, while the average public sector salary is 519 euros.

According to Aydin, in the public enterprises sector, the average salary is 650 euros.

The highest wage rate in Kosovo is in the public enterprise and public sector sector sector, until with lower salaries is the private sector.

According to the recent official data of the Kosovo Statistics Agency, the average gross salary in the public sector is 525 euros, in the private sector's average salary of 371 euros, and in the sector of public enterprises 660 euros.

Within four years, the average gross salary in Kosovo, according to the latest data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK), has marked growth of 20 percent while unemployment has continued to be the same.

Little better are the workers of the Kosovo Energy Corporation.

The New Trade Union in KEK, Rafet Osmani, has told Kosovo that the average salary in this corporation is about 700 euros.

The average panel at KEK, now following the increase in wages we had due to the numerous protests we held both in Pristina and in the Kosovo Energy Corporation, which was completed on the March (100 euros) salary, the average salary now at KEK is about 680 euros<1>, Osmani said.