
According to data published by the State Inspectorate of Labor and Social Services in 2023, a significant increase of 9.2% in the number of informal workers detected during inspections was observed compared to the same period last year. Informality includes work relationships that operate outside legal frameworks and state regulations.
In this context, "Scan Intel" has conducted an in-depth analysis of the figures to better understand the state of employee recruitment in the six main regions of the country. While some regions have made significant progress towards formalizing labor relations, others still face significant challenges.
Tirana, as the main economic center of Albania, has the largest number of total employees, with 152,320 individuals. Of which 643 employees are informal, which make up 0.4% of the total. In Vlora, we have a total of 25,860 employees and 309 of them are informal, making up 1.2% of the total. Whereas, Korça, with a total of 14,467 employees, shows a higher degree of informality. Informal workers in this region make up 2.8% of the total.
Dibra has 168 informal employees out of a total of 8,487 employees, while in Shkodër there are 374 informal employees out of a total of 7,688, positioning it as the region with the highest degree of informality. On the other hand, Gjirokastra seems more stable with only 72 informal workers out of 6,143 in total.
But how does employment appear in the main activities of the economy? The figures show that the informality rate is higher in construction and trade. Specifically, 3.1% and 2.2% of the total employees in these sectors are informal
On the other hand, manufacturing enterprises, which have the highest number of employees with 80,928 individuals, show a relatively low informality rate of 0.4%. This is an indication of successful formalization efforts in this sector.
In contrast, the transport and telecommunications sector is presented as the most positive example, with employees who are provided with individual contracts, are over 18 years old, and insured, thus implementing the Labor Code.