Both unemployment and the Kosovo workers crisis

“Zaconally in competitions apply too much, but then they don't come for different reasons. For example, they do not adapt to work schedules, they have travel problems, and some”, she says.

Vilda, who has been working in the food chain “Maxi xy Supermarkete”, says the problem of the shortage of workers has emerged since the beginning of the coronary pandemic in the spring of last year.

“Young people, apparently, do not want to work”, she says.

The working hour at her company is 8 hours and 30 minutes of lunch break. The clock is a morning and afternoon shift. Pay value, meanwhile, does not become known.

According to data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK), the average gross salary in the private sector in 2020 was 380 euros. Companies may face a lack of workers, but unemployment is one of the biggest problems facing Kosovo society for years.

The unemployment rate in Kosovo this year marks nearly 26 per cent. Compared to last year, there is an increase of 0.8 percent.

In spite of that, the Kosovo Employment Agency reports to Radio Free Europe that the total number of job seekers registered in this office is 120 thousand.

The agency's director, Drin Haraqia, says that during this year alone, 12,000 people have registered as unemployed.

He says there are also complaints from job seekers that they find no jobs but also from employers that they find no workers.

“Work conditions and salaries are two essential factors that have no labour force, and businesses have difficulty providing workers based on the required” profiles, Haraqia says.

Krasniqi: Lack of Qualified Workers

Representatives of businesses in Kosovo say that construction and trade companies mostly face the problem of finding workers.

The chairman of the Afarism Oda in Kosovo, Skender Krasniqi, says the labour market lacks qualified workers.

“Our schools don't produce quartdro, so after high school, they students can get into the job market. Businesses are being forced themselves to train workers. There are complaints from businesses that they cannot find qualified workers”, Krasniqi says.

According to him, workers often refuse to accept the workplace because of lack of health insurance. That, Krasniqi says, should be regulated by the state.

Job seekers training on specific profiles

Job seekers registered as unemployed are trained for different professions at Kosovo Employment Agency centres, located in almost all municipalities.

Drin Haraqia shows that this agency provides training for over 30 different professional profiles, including molar, bricklayer, plasterer, cook, welding, business management, baker and others.

This year alone, over 3,000 people were trained in various professions the agency offers them. Of them, 900 are women, who have received professional training”, Haraqia says.

According to him, out of the 12,000 registered persons this year as unemployed, 60,000 have benefited from active labour market measures, and some have benefited regular employment.

Azem: Workers' rights are being violated

The private sector is counted as the biggest employer in Kosovo, with over 220 thousand workers.

Yusuf Azemi, chairman of the Independent Private Sector Union, tells Radio Free Europe that the situation created, in connection with the shortage of workers, the union has alarmed years ago.

According to him, there are poor working conditions in the private sector that have brought it to this situation.

Over the years, we have warned that the private sector is not being treated closely either under the Law. In a lack of respect for rights, many workers have given up work”, Azemi says.

In many cases, according to him, employers have paid employees at minimum wages.

In Kosovo, the minimum wage is 130 euros for employed under 35 and 170 euros for employees over 35 years of age.

Azmi says workers in the private sector also complain about long hours of work.

In the latest AKS poll, released in October this year, respondents working in the public sector have said they work up to 39 hours a week, while those in private up to 43 hours.

By the Labour Law, the full schedule is 40 hours a week.

Azem: Young People Leaving Kosovo

Low wages and poor working conditions, Azemi adds, have led workers mainly to leave Kosovo to European Union countries.

According to official data, during 2020, 8,724 people have left Kosovo. Some of them have fled because of finding a job or for long - term studies.

In addition to European Union countries, a number of Kosovars have emigrated to other countries, mainly to the United States, Turkey, and Canada.