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Silent replacement with foreign employees

2026-09-05 16:32:39Biznes SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Silent replacement with foreign employees
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By the end of June 2026, 22.6 thousand foreign nationals were employed in Albania, up from 18 thousand in 2025. According to data from the State Police, Filipinos, Indians and Egyptians led the new hires, while businesses are increasingly relying on foreign labor due to immigration. Foreign workers accounted for 3.1% of the total number of employees in the country. Experts warn that this trend will strengthen

For several months, two young men from India, with engineering degrees, have been employed by the Albanian company "Ital Costruzioni", a manufacturer of metal structures entirely for the European market.

Young people say that the main reason for employment in Albania is the high salary, up to 50% higher than in India. But also, employment in the country is giving them the opportunity to gain experience in the European market.

"In Albania I earn about 50% more monthly income than in India and with my salary I manage to support my family to improve their quality of life," 25-year-old Mayur Prajapati, one of the two Indian engineers who has been working at this company for two years, told "Monitor".

With him is Irfan Ansari, 23, who has been working as a security engineer for seven months. "I have been working in Albania for seven months. I came here for better career opportunities, to gain international experience and to develop professionally," he says, praising the work environment and the support the company offers.

The two young men claim that in addition to salaries that are 30 to 50% higher than in India, the company also provides them with accommodation, food, transportation, and private health insurance. They also have the opportunity to participate in social activities organized by the company.

For Irfan Ansari, Albania has been an opportunity to build an international career, while for Mayur Prajapati, a place where he can gain professional experience in a safe and collaborative environment.

"The advantages of working in Albania are the better quality of life, good working environment and a very good company to work for. The main challenge is that we must always continue to improve our skills and knowledge to develop professionally," says Mayurin, a 25-year-old engineer.

The company "Ital Construzioni" employs 54 foreign workers from India and Bangladesh, constituting 45% of the total number of employees.

To cope with the shortage of labor, it has been investing in hiring foreign staff for 5 years. The company has set up a consolidated scheme that, in addition to salaries, which for foreign employees range from 600 to 1,000 euros per month depending on the position, includes accommodation, food in the workplace canteen, private healthcare (a doctor is also permanently employed on the factory premises), transportation, occupational safety and professional training.

The company's director, Ornela Haxhiri, says that for several years, they have faced the challenge of finding employees, which is why hiring foreigners has been seen as a sustainable solution.

Ms. Haxhiri emphasizes that one of the main reasons for the lack of local labor force remains emigration, especially of young people with vocational education. According to her, despite the technological developments being used in production, investment in the professional qualification of human resources constitutes one of the competitive advantages.

"For us, employees are not just human resources, but people who need to feel valued and part of the company. It is precisely this approach that has led a significant portion of them to stay with us for years."

Experience has taught us that people don't stay just for economic reasons. They stay where they feel respected, safe, and part of a company that invests in their development.

Today we can say that this scheme has transformed from a market need into a competitive advantage and a sustainable investment in human capital, which remains the company's most important asset."

The industry is also facing the continuous increase in European standards in terms of quality, safety, traceability and environmental protection.

To maintain competitiveness in international markets, Ms. Haxhiri recommends that local manufacturing companies, in addition to investing in technology, also invest in the development and professional training of human capital.

The number of foreigners employed in Albania reaches almost 23 thousand citizens

By June 2026, the number of foreign citizens employed in the country reached 22.6 thousand individuals, up from 18.1 thousand as of December 2025, according to data from the Electronic Register of Foreigners provided to Monitor by the State Police.

The upward trend of those employed in the country has also been increasing in previous years. In 2025, their number increased by 43.4% compared to 2024.

For the year 2026, about 90% of them or 20.3 thousand citizens are equipped with a unique permit from employers. While 10% of them or 2,361 foreign citizens are registered in Albania as self-employed, mainly from Kosovo, Italy and Turkey.

The number of employees by employer is led by citizens from the Philippines, India and Egypt. For all these countries, 10,258 unique permits for employees have been approved, constituting about 50% of the total number of employees in the country.

According to data, the number of Filipinos employed in the country as of June 2026 reached 3,552 citizens with work permits, constituting about 16% of the total number of foreigners employed in the country.

Following them are citizens from India with 3,423 employees or 15% of the total. Citizens from Egypt reached 3,283 employees. Following them are Turkey with 1,503 unique permits for employees and Italy with 1,306 permits.

Furthermore, among the other countries with the highest number of foreign employees equipped with unique permits are the USA with 619 permits, Indonesia with 229 citizens, China with 212 citizens equipped with unique permits by employees, etc.

In recent years, many entrepreneurs, especially in the service sector in bars and restaurants, have claimed to Monitor that they have significantly increased the employment of foreign nationals from the Philippines and India.

Many foreigners from these countries are employed in bars and restaurants in positions such as waiters, cleaners or cooks. Other jobs have also been created in manufacturing plants, which are hiring young engineers from India.

While citizens from Egypt are increasingly being employed in the transportation, livestock, and agritourism sectors.

The employment of foreigners has also expanded to include families. Filipino nationals are being employed as childcare workers (nannies), elderly care workers, or housekeepers.

Unlike unique permits for employees, which are dominated by citizens of the Philippines, India and Egypt, unique permits for self-employment are led by Italian citizens. Out of a total of 2,361 unique permits for self-employment, 868 belong to Italian citizens or about 37% of the total.

After Italy, Kosovo ranks with 283 permits, followed by Turkey with 199, the USA with 198, Ukraine with 92, Syria with 68, Germany with 67 and Poland with 65 unique permits for self-employment, etc.

Foreign employees account for 3.1% of employees

Despite the increasing trend over the years in the number of foreign citizens with work permits, the structure of the labor market in the country continues to be dominated by local workers, while the participation of foreigners in the Albanian labor market still remains low in relation to the total number of employees.

In 2025, foreign employees accounted for 3.1% of the total number of employees in the country, up from 2.2% in 2024.

In 2018, the country saw 3,911 approved online work permit applications for foreign nationals, representing 0.7% of the total number of employees in the country. This percentage further decreased to 0.6% in 2020, due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and international movement restrictions.

From 2021 onwards, the trend of approved work permit applications for foreign nationals in the country changed significantly. In 2023, their number reached 8,305 work permits. Compared to 2022, their number increased by about 65%.

Despite the increase in approved employment permits, their percentage in the total number of employees continued to remain low, namely for 2021 they accounted for 0.9%, for 2022 they accounted for 1.5% of the total number of employees and in 2023, their share was 1.7%.

For staff recruitment expert Erald Pashaj, also executive director of EPPC Albania & Kosovo, the weight of foreign employees, in relation to the workforce, remains negligible for the Albanian labor market.

Mr. Pashaj argues that if Albania accelerates economic growth above 4%, the foreign worker scheme will gradually become a permanent investment for Albanian companies. Otherwise, their recruitment will remain a temporary alternative.

"If Albania continues to have economic growth above 4%, then the need for foreign labor will also increase. On the contrary, their number is not expected to increase. Only an expanding economy can turn this temporary solution into a sustainable phenomenon, as has happened in other countries in the region and Europe."

This means that the number of foreign workers will continue to gradually increase, mainly from countries with lower income levels than Albania, such as Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines.

At the same time, Albanian businesses are increasingly finding it difficult to find local workers. If the economy continues to develop, there will be more and more foreigners who will choose to live and work for longer periods in Albania.

Although in some cases, the cost of recruiting them is higher than hiring a local employee, the costs of the Albanian workforce have also increased significantly. Under these conditions, hiring foreigners is no longer an option, but a necessity. Practically, there is no other plan.”

Mr. Pashaj recommends that in the future, Albania should apply a quota regime for the employment of foreign citizens, as is the case in Serbia and North Macedonia. Currently, no such system exists in the country. / Taken with abbreviations from Monitor


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