monitoring of the employment strategy

8/22/2019 Monitoring of the Employment Strategy

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REPORT

Monitoring

of the eMployMent

Sectoral Strategy

froM gender

perSpective


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This monitoring was made possible with the support o

Open Society Foundation or Albania (OSFA)

Experts:

Ani Plaku, Ma

Daniela Kalaja, Ma

Ermira Danaj, Ma

Monika Kocaqi, Ma

Processed and prepared the material or release:

Daniela Kalaja, Ma

Monika Kocaqi, Ma

Interviewers:

Aida Bala

Alba Agolli

Altina Behaj

Andon LulaBehije Hyseni

Dorina Abdiaj, Ma

Elda Sopaj

Elona Mustaaj

Fatbardha Vakaj

Keti Qirinxhi

Liljana ela

Rezarta Andoni

Valbona Jaupllari

@ Reeksione Association, Tirana

The sale or use o this guide or proft is prohibited

Translated in English: Denis Haxhia

Design & Layout: outprint

The opinions expressed in this report belong to the authors and do not necessarily represent

the opinions o the Open Society Foundation or Albania.


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acKnoWledgeMentS

Reeksione Association expresses its gratitude to the Open Society Foundation or Albania (OSFA),

or providing fnancial support in the implementation o the project: Improving the status o women in

society through combating their social exclusion and supporting their access to labour market, part o

which was the compilation o this monitoring report.

We thank all the government institutions at central and local level, who were involved in various

components o the implementation o this project, particularly with regards to monitoring the Employment

Sectoral Strategy 2007 - 2013. The inormation provided by the Ministry o Labour, Social Aairs and

Equal Opportunities, National Employment Service, Regional Employment Ofces in Kukes, Shkodra,

Dibra, Lezha, Tirana, Durrs, Elbasan, Fier, Berat, Vlora, Kora and Gjirokastra, was necessary in order

to reect a more accurate picture regarding the institutions responsible or providing services in the feld

o employment.

We also thank all the respondents as well all the interviewed or the time they dedicated to us and the

inormation given to us through the instruments used or the monitoring.

Last but not least, Reeksione Association expresses a special thanks to all the experts, the interviewers

and members o sta involved in every step o the implementation o this project. Their maximal workand dedication was the decisive actor or achieving the desired success.


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aBBreviationS

LFS Labour Force Survey

EU European Union

INSTAT Institute o Statistics

SLI State Labour Inspectorate

ITInormation Technology

LSMS Study or Measurement o Living Standards

MoLSAEO Ministry o Labour, Social Aairs and Equal Opportunities

NPO Non Proft Organization

ILO International Labour Organization

PWD People with Disabilities

GNP Gross National Product

SME Small and Medium Enterprises

OSFA Open Society Foundation or Albania

SES Sectoral Employment Strategy 2007-2013

NES National Employment Service

TV Television

REO Regional Employment Ofce

LEO Local Employment Ofce

DCM Decision o the Council o Ministers


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contentS

Acknowledgments 03

Abbreviations 04

Introduction 06

Methodology 11

The legal ramework relating to employment in Albania 14

Employment Sectoral Strategy 2007 2013 18

Mapping o Employment Services Sector based on Employment Strategy 21

Analysis and interpretation o data rom the monitoring 26

Conclusions 41

Annexes 45

Format o the questionnaire 45

Format o the Interview 49

Defnitions on employment by the Institute o Statistics 53


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REFLEKSIONE ASSOcIAtION

6

introdUction

Drating and publication o the monitoring report o the Sectoral Strategy or Employment 2007 - 2013 under

the gender perspective is part o the project Improving the status o women in society through combating

their social exclusion and supporting their access to the labour market, a project implemented by Reections

Association, with fnancial support rom the Open Society Foundation or Albania (OSFA).

This monitoring report, under a gender perspective, takes values in a situation where more and more we

hear discussions and debates about the issue o eminization o poverty. In Albania, as elsewhere, poverty

has dierent consequences or women and men. Gender division o labour or sexual division o labour reers

to the assignment o dierent roles, responsibilities and duties or men and women, based on social ideas o

what men and women should do and are capable o doing. Dierent duties and responsibilities are assigned

to women/girls and men/boys, according to their gender-sex roles, and not necessarily according to their skills

or personal preerences. In time, this separation leads to a gender division o skills. Men/boys and women/

girls learn and perect only those considered appropriate or their gender roles. This creates dierent skills

and abilities or them, which are then assigned to one gender only. Responsibilities o women/girls withinthe household and amily, oten limit their opportunities to seek work and to participate actively in the labour

market. Conclusions drawn rom the 2008 LSMS data show that in emale-headed households the average

consumption is lower than that o households headed by men.

Unemployment is one o the main problems identifed in Albania and the fgures are truly alarming when

it comes to the number o unemployed women/girls. But equally alarming is the situation o women/girls

employed in the inormal market, although there doesnt seem to be comprehensive studies on the subject.

Other issues to consider in this aspect are also wages and gender dierences, gender discrimination in hiring,

women/girls in the private sector especially small and medium enterprises, the status o women/girls in rural

areas, education and proessional training, etc.

Although women and girls constitute the largest number o higher education graduates, their economic status

leaves much to be desired. The participation o women/girls in the labour market has decreased. The participation

rate o women/girls in the labour orce in 2009 was 51.8%, compared with 56.2% in 2007 1. Women/girls in

Albania have less access than men/boys in starting a job and consequently the level o unemployment among

them is higher. The employment rate or the population aged 15-64 in 2009 was 53.4%. This indicator was

64.3% or males and 43.6% or emales. The employment rate or women/girls has declined since 2007 when it

was 49.3%. The unemployment rate among women/girls in 2009 was 15.9%, compared with 12.2% or men/

boys in the same year, while in 2007 the unemployment o women/girls was 12.2%. The indicators o long-

term unemployment (as standard defnition, the long-term unemployed are the people unemployed or a period

ranging rom one year or more) show that women/girls are more likely to remain unemployed or a longer timethan men/boys. The dierence between them is respectively 10.6% and 7.8%. This gap has increased over

the years. Since 2007, long-term unemployment or women/girls has increased rom 8.8% to 10.6%. Also,

among the discouraged unemployed, women/girls represent about 70%, which means that these women/

girls do not wish any longer to enter the labour market. Discouragement oten comes rom lack o social

services to care or children and the elderly. Employment by sector also shows dierences in gender indexes.

In the public sector there are 54.3% male and 45.7% emale employees, in the private sector there are 70.3%

male and 29.7% emale and in the agricultural sector there are 43.3% male and 56.7% emale. Data rom the

people employed in the public sector show that women/girls occupy the highest percentage o employment in

occupations such as specialist or simple worker, positions with lower wages, compared with proessions such

as legislators, ofcers, senior directors and policy-makers, in which men/boys are mainly seen as employees.

1. Labour Market 2009


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REPORT: MOniTORing Of ThE EMPlOyMEnT SEcTORal STRaTEgy fROM gEndER PERSPEcTivE

7

By making a comparison o employment in two levels, the central and local one, the data indicate that women

represent a greater percentage o employment in the central level. Thus, in the central government institutions,

43% o employees are emale, while this fgure in the local administration results as 30%.

The right to employment is recognized and guaranteed by the Constitution o the Republic o Albania2 and,

along with other rights, comprises the basis o the legal order. The practical application o this right is achievedthrough the implementation o specifc national laws, ratifed international documents as well as through

specifc strategies.

The Sectoral Employment Strategy o 2007-2013 aims to lay the main strategic basis or the Ministry o Labour,

Social Aairs and Equal Opportunities or the development o employment services and proessional training.

This means improving the quality o services to job seeking and job providing clients and by improving the

quality o employment services, as well as efcient implementation o active and passive programs. The main

goal is to reduce unemployment to the unemployment rate or European Union countries gradually until 2013.

The main objective o the employment policies is to support job seekers in fnding a suitable job. Employment

policies are an important tool or improving the labour market situation, but still have a limited impact onreducing unemployment. This comes as a result o several actors in the labour market that are associated with

the act that labour market policies are costly and require more people to implement them.

One o the dimensions o the Sectoral Employment Strategy is gender equality and equal opportunities. The

National Employment Service should provide measures to monitor opportunities and equal treatment between

men/women and boys/girls in the feld o employment services, proessional training and income support in

case o unemployment. Special policies are scheduled or groups o women/girls in need, such as:

For head o household women and victims o trafcking there will be measures taken to provide

proessional training at public proessional training centres (ree service), and measures or their

employment. This also relates to prevention o trafcking.

Regarding women/girls o the Roma and Egyptian community, there will be work in awareness o

employees o employment ofces or the implementation o existing programs to increase employment

opportunities or these groups3 and the measures envisaged in the National Strategy or the Integration

o Roma Community.

Also in the 2007-2013 Employmnt Sectorial Strategy there are objectives relating to employment and

proessional training or the Roma community, employment and proessional training or children working in

inormal ways as well as policies or employment and proessional training o potential migrants and those

returned.

Reeksione Association believes that this monitoring report rom a gender perspective is a positive experience

or Albania and will serve as an analytical tool: to assess the current achievements o the Strategy; to identiy

weaknesses, problems and challenges; as well as to determine objectives or the uture.

In the implementation o this monitoring report were used a combination o quantitative methods and qualitative

ones. In this ramework, there have been developed two main instruments4: a questionnaire or quantitative

data collection, as well as interviews or the achievement o the qualitative research component. Although the

bulk o the monitoring report consists o analysis and processing o data collected through the survey, there is

2.Article 49 o the Constitution o the Republic o Albania.3. DCM 632, dated 18.09.2003 On the promotion o employment program or emale unemployed job seekers4. For details, please reer to the ull ormat o the questionnaire and interview, attached to this report as Annex 1.


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8

also inormation collected rom the desk research, mainly regarding the introduction o legal and administrative

ramework in the feld o employment and proessional training.

The survey was conducted in all the 12 (twelve)5 regions o the country and ocused on the category o

unemployed job seekers who have benefted rom the implementation o the Employment Sectoral Strategy as

well as programs in Proessional Training. In total there were 1547 (one thousand fve hundred and orty-seven) quantitative questionnaires completed, with a 44% gender representation o male and 56% emale.

Qualitative interviews were conducted with samples o employees o labour ofces. These interviews aimed to

obtain inormation on the implementation o the strategy rom the perspective o those who provide services.

The frst part o the interview ocused on inormation about education, age and position o the employees, the

responsibilities o the institution, conduct and representation policies. The second part o the interview ocused

more on inormation about the quality o services oered and meeting the needs o unemployed job seekers

through the provision o these services. The number o the interviewed totalled 85 (eighty-fve), o which 22

(twenty two) males and 63 (sixty three) emales.

An important part o this monitoring report is also the introduction o legal and administrative ramework

in the feld o employment and proessional training. This presentation is ocused on: (a) InternationalDocuments ratifed and signed by the Albanian government where the most important are: Conventions o

the International Labour Organization, Convention on the Elimination o All Forms o Discrimination

Against Women (CEDAW), a number o documents o the European Union, Millennium Development

Objectives, etc. (b) the National Legislation which will be presented with a series o laws, the most important

to be singled out are: Labour Code o the Republic o Albania, Law On the gender equality in society,

Law On education and proessional training in the Republic o Albania, Law On the protection rom

discriminationand some strategies developed during recent years, in which it is treated as a priority the issue

o employment or proessional training: National Strategy or Gender Equality, Violence against Women

and Domestic Violence 2011-2015, Social Protection Sectoral Strategy, Rural Development Cross-

sectoral Strategy, Cross-sectoral Strategy on Public Administration Reorm and National Strategy

on the Development and Integration 2007-2013.

Mapping o Employment Services, as part o this monitoring report, ocuses on administrative aspects

o employment and vocational training. It summarizes the Employment Services, Private employment

servicesand Employment promotion programsand more specifcally:

the program or the promotion o employment o unemployed job seekers;

the program or the promotion o employment through proessionaltraining;

the program or the encouragement o employment through institutional training;

the program or the promotion o employment or unemployed emale job seekers;

the program or the promotion o employment o unemployed job seekers who have completedhigher education at home and abroad, through their involvement in apprenticeship programs in

public or private institutions/enterprises6

The analysis and interpretation o the data, as being the most important part o this monitoring report,

ocuses on the results obtained rom the processing o statistical and qualitative data applied. It is organized

with respect to monitoring methodology and ocuses at frst on the analysis and interpretation o quantitative

data and then the analysis and interpretation o data rom qualitative interviews with the service providers.

In a logical approach, the last part o the report summarizes the fnal conclusions o the report highlighting as

the most important:

5. Respectively in Tirana, Durres, Elbasan, Berat, Korce, Fier, Vlora, Shkodra, Lezha, Kukes and Dibra.6. Employment promotion program to be implemented or the frst time in 2007.


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9

People with eight-year education and college (middle) education appear to have higher incidence or

unemployment as active unemployed, while within each o these two groups results that the number

o unemployed males with secondary education is higher than that o unemployed emale job seekers,

with the same educational level at about 5%. Meanwhile gender dierences or unemployed people

with higher education shows/proves once again that women/girls with high school education have more

difcult access to employment compared to men/boys with the same educational level. Unemployed job seekers belonging to a married civil status, turn out to comprise a higher percentage

(70%) compared with those that belong to single status. By gender comparative approach it is noticed

that, i among single job seekers the number o women and men is the same, in the group o married

unemployed job seekers the number o unemployed emale job seekers is lower than that o males. This

act is supported by the conclusion that married women withdraw rom the labour market or a certain

period o time, due to liabilities associated with raising a amily, giving birth and raising children, etc.

Regarding the groups o unemployed job seekers who are divorced, separated7 or widowed, it is

noticed that even though they are ewer in number in terms o their position as job seekers, again within

these groups it is women who have been aected more by unemployment. This is a very important act

that should be considered as a priority by all institutions that oer services in the feld o employment in

order to help these vulnerable groups. Nearly 90% o the interviewed claim that the employer has been paying social and health security. However,

unortunately, we have to admit that this result cannot be generalizing beyond the sample selected as in

its division we were based on the monitorised indicators o counselling by the labour ofces, the main

ocus being the unemployed treated with economic or unemployment beneft (assistance not provided

unless they have paid social/health security). We need to emphasize the act that rom our work in the

feld and ongoing contacts with individuals/groups in need, we have concluded that coverage o the

relevant obligations or social/healthcare security rom the employer to the employee does not always

happen, or is simply in the parameters o the minimum obligation, causing major damage up to non

profting o the relevant beneft/pension in time, or during periods o unemployment.

Inormal work remains the main activity that helps unemployed job seekers to overcome the difculties

created during their period o unemployed. Another source o income is considered the treatment

with income or economic assistance/support rom relatives/amily members who live in the country.

Surprisingly it results that proceeds/support rom relatives/amily members who live abroad is classifed

as a last resort support and much smaller compared to the frst three. From the gender perspective, the

data revealed that women/girls are less involved in the inormal sector, but their support comes mostly

rom relatives who live/work within the country.

90% o the interviewed declare that they have registered at the employment ofces as unemployed

job seekers. Among the 10% who are not registered, almost hal o them claim to not have registered

because o the lack o trust placed in these structures, while others within this category state that the

reasons or their ailure to register relate to the lack o inormation on services that employment ofces

can provide, or the lack o inrastructure or not contacting/receiving inormation on these institutionsand their useulness. Although positive steps have been taken, there is still need or intervention in terms

o raising awareness o the population or registration as unemployed job seeker, as well as the creation

o trust that the relevant structures will deal with the priority o the registrants.

The majority o the interviewed (90.8%) declared that they had not attended any training course or

qualifcation oered by employment ofces. Among those who have attended training courses or

qualifcations, the number o women/girls turns out to be higher, which highlights the level o importance

that women/girls devote to their proessional training. About 31.3% o the interviewed responded that

this option was not oered by employment ofces; 29.07% stated that they were not oered valid

opportunities, while 9.7% claim that the reasons or not attending the courses oered are associated

with the lack o support and social services within the group, the gender dierence being dominant,

emales are almost double the number o males.

7. Spouses are separated but have not yet started/completed the process o divorce.


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75% o the interviewed that are involved in training courses have not been oered a job aterwards by the

employment ofces. This act is a very signifcant indication that justifes the attitude/lack o credibility o

many individuals opposed to the eectiveness o services provided by employment ofces. Meanwhile,

the details regarding the group o unemployed job seekers participating in training/qualifcation and

which was subsequently oered a job indicate the number o women/girls has been higher than that o

men/boys. The data show that most o the respondents did not apply through an employment promotion program.

However, rom the number o those who applied, emales represent the highest percentage. The reason

why most o the respondents have not applied through employment promotion programs stands with

the act that this option has not really been suggested/oered by the employment ofces. Among the

interviewed is recorded a group that considers as irrelevant the options provided and thereore did

not consider them. Again or the group o women/girls, one o the main reasons or uninvolvement in

employment promotion programs has to do with lack o support and social care services.

From the processing o data in terms o fnding a fnal solution on employment, through the application

o employment promotion programs, it shows that the majority o the interviewed could not fnd a fnal

solution with respect to their employment, they are simply involved temporarily in such programs.

There are signifcant changes in the attitude and mentality regarding the reliability o employmentservices. This is because o the increased accountability and eorts o these institutions in oering more

quality services towards vulnerable groups. Unlike a ew years ago, there is now a growing awareness

regarding the importance o registration at employment ofces as unemployed job seekers, especially

among youngsters or graduates. The level o confdence in the eectiveness or quality o services

oered by these institutions remains low or a high percentage o unemployed job seekers, particularly

the long-term ones.

Despite an increase in fnancial resources allocated to employment institutions, including the state

budget and oreign donors, in many cases these resources are considered insufcient in terms o space,

logistics, commodities, etc.

In terms o increasing the quality o services, an important point that is emphasized by the interviewed

is the increase in sensitivity and opportunities to be oered in terms o the unemployed by the labour

market and businesses, particularly or vulnerable groups such as women as heads o households below

the poverty line, divorced women, trafcked women/girls, raped women/girls, people with disabilities,

young people under the age o 18, vulnerable groups such as Roma, orphans and others.

The process o developing the Sectoral Employment Strategy gets the attention and contribution o

the structures responsible or implementing this strategy. Some o the ways that this contribution is

provided are: analysis and periodic survey o the labour market, participation in working groups that

arise during the drating o the strategy as well as giving direct opinions/comments, providing data and

statistics based on daily work in the implementation o the adopted strategy, concrete planning or the

implementation o the strategy, etc.

There is need o well coordinated and continuous eorts o all central and local actors, the non-proftsector, the business as well as benefciary groups, to inuence and alleviate the problem o unemployment.

The state must hold the weight and the main responsibility in coordinating these actions.


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8. For details, please reer to the ull ormat o the questionnaire and interview, attached to this report as Annex 1.9. Respectively in Tirana, Durres, Elbasan, Berat, Korce, Fier, Vlora, Shkodra, Lezha, Kukes and Dibra.

10. Situation beore / ater the election at the local level led to the length o the survey, particularly in the lower and creating difculties

or data collection, especially in connection with the services provided by relevant institutions in the feld o employment. The data was

gathered during the period May - October 2011.

Methodology

As quoted above, the monitoring o the implementation o the Employment Sectoral Strategy 2007 - 2013 was

one o the main components o the implementation o the project: Improving the status o women in society

through combating their social exclusion and supporting their access to labour market.

The methodologyused or conducting this study was a combination o quantitative methods with qualitative

ones. In this ramework, there have been developed two main instruments 88: a questionnaire or quantitative

data collection, as well as interviews or the achievement o the qualitative research component. Although the

bulk o the monitoring report consists o analysis and processing o data collected through the survey, there is

also inormation collected rom the desk research, mainly regarding the introduction o legal and administrative

ramework in the feld o employment and vocational training.

The questionnaire, which was the main instrument o data collection during the survey, was constructed based

on individual answers, where the unit o choice was the individual. The questionnaire consisted o our parts,

each o which ocused on certain inormation. The frst part collected more general inormation mainly relatedto gender, marital status, education level, geographic position o the respondents, etc. The second part o the

questionnaire ocused more on inormation related to the previous relations in the feld o employment, mainly

those specifed in the employment sector, job position, working hours, etc. The third part o the questionnaire

collected data and inormation relating to the period o unemployment and the services oered in this case

by the respective institutions. Meanwhile, the ourth part o the questionnaire ocused more on inormation on

employment mediation services, oered by the employment ofces, more specifcally inormation about the

type o employment oered, the relevant sector, the relations regarding the compliance o security and social

health components, etc.

The survey was conducted in all the 12 (twelve)9 regions o the country over a period o 6 (six) months10.

The survey sample was based on a quota level or each region, a level determined by taking into account the

percentage o the unemployed registered or each region.

Table 1: Number o questionnaires distributed by regions.

REGION NUMBER OF QUESTIONNAIRES PERCENTAGE OF DISTRIBUTIONS

Berat 105 6.79

Durrs 176 11.38

Elbasan 103 6.66

Fier 104 6.72

Gjirokastr 96 6.21

Kor 101 6.53

Kuks 90 5.82

Lezh 103 6.66

Dibr 151 9.76

Shkodr 154 9.95

Tiran 261 16.87

Vlor 103 6.66

TOTAL 1547 100.00


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The survey ocused on the category o unemployed job seekers who have benefted rom the implementation

o the Employment Sectoral Strategy as well as programs o Proessional Training. These categories are

monitored by the employment ofces under a range o indicators, which served as the basis or the allocation

o quota or each category and or each service oered by these institutions. Ater setting the quotas or each

region and service categories, the selection o interviewees was made at random. Meanwhile, the working

group decided on some conditions on the survey, such as:1. To be surveyed only people included in the group o population o working age, i.e. aged 16 to 65 years old;

2. To be surveyed only one o the spouses within the same amily;

3. To maintain a balance between the number o male and emale respondents;

4. To aim primarily the survey o people (male and emale) who had started a work relation ater treatment

oered by the relevant institutions in the feld o employment, during the time o being registered as unemployed

jobseeker.

Table 2: Distribution o the sample with quotas by regions.

Monitorable indicators o

counselling rom LabourOfces

Total o assistedon employment

Unemployed

on economicbenefts

Unemployed on

unemploymentbenefts

Advised Contacts withthe employee

Tiran 260 30 70 50 50

Durrs 170 30 70 20 30

Elbasan 150 20 70 20 20

Shkodr 150 20 70 20 20

Kuks 150 20 70 20 20

Dibr 100 20 70 20 20

Kor 100 20 50 10 10

Gjirokastr 100 20 50 10 10

Vlor 100 20 50 10 10

Fier 100 20 50 10 10

Lezh 100 20 50 10 10

Berat 100 20 50 10 10

Part o the survey methodology was also training a group o interviewers in order to explain each question o

the research instruments, explaining the separation and selection o sampling and the explanation o all the

rules to be ollowed in collecting the answers and inormation as close to reality as possible. The training was

ollowed by feld testing o questionnaires, as well as improving some questions that resulted too vague to

gather relevant inormation.

The collection o inormation on the feld was ollowed by the casual process o inormation validity control, the

results o which dictated us to return back to the feld to recollect inormation rom a group o 300 respondents.

The process o data entry and selection was conducted within a two month period, ollowed by the processing

and analysis o the data collected, as a result o which a set o tables was compiled with relevant quantitative

indicators, which can be ound in the ollowing pages, as illustrations o the conclusions drawn rom this

monitoring.


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11. We should not orget that during the construction o the sampling, one o the conditions had to do with the age o respondents who

had to be included within the economically active age (i.e. up to 65)

General characteristics o the survey sample.

The survey touched a population o an average age group o 41 (orty one) years old or males and 38 (thirty

eight) years old or emales11. Meanwhile, the percentage o the respondents by gender results to be about

44% male and about 56% emale. The education level o the respondents has resulted mainly middle (college)

or proessional middle education (45%), while about 17% reported higher education. It must be emphasized

that there is a signifcant dierence between the sexes in terms o higher education, as 20% o the surveyedwith higher education are emales, with only 13% males. The survey shows that 70% o the respondents are

married, 90% o the respondents are part o the amily with one crown and have an average number o children

o about 1.7. There are no signifcant gender dierences in this regard.

Qualitative analysis.

The qualitative analysis was conducted through interviews o employees rom labour ofces. These interviews

were intended to collect inormation on the implementation o the strategy rom the perspective o those who

provide the services. The frst part o the interview collected inormation on education, age and position o

the employees. Then each o them provided inormation on the responsibilities o the institution, conduct and

representation policies. The second part o the interview ocused more on inormation about the quality o

services oered and meeting the needs o unemployed job seekers through the provision o these services. Thenumber o the interviewed totalled 85 (eighty-fve), o which 22 (twenty two) males and 63 (sixty three) emales.

Their average age was 38 (thirty eight) years old. About 95% o them result to have higher education. 67% o

the interviewed were in the position o the specialist and the rest in the position o manager o employment

ofces.

Limitations o the survey.

The survey was conducted by choosing as data disaggregation and separation level the region and the sample

division was conducted based on the services and people or each service. Despite the number o people

surveyed being relatively signifcant (1.547) and the division in all the regions, the frst limitation o this survey

has to do with the act that the method o distribution in the regions o the registered unemployed did not

represent a part o the unemployed population (registered and unregistered). Consequently, throughout our

analysis we will reer to the sample and not the entire population o all regions.


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14

legal fraMeWorK in relation

to eMployMent in alBania

The right to employment is recognized and guaranteed by the Constitution o the Republic o Albania12 and,

along with other rights, comprises the basis o the legal order. The practical application o this right is achieved

through the implementation o specifc national laws, ratifed international documents as well as through

specifc strategies.

A. INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS.

In the Constitution o the Republic o Albania and particularly in the provisions o the Labour Code, it is reected

in a satisactory manner the standards o the Employment Convention and Recommendation19613, the

European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms14, or ensuring ull employment,

proft making and reely chosen as a means to achieve the practical achievement o the right to work.

The Republic o Albania in support o Law no. 8086, dated 13.3.1996 has acceded to the Conventions o theInternational Labour Organisation, such as Convention no. 105 On the Abolition o Forced Labour,

Convention no. 111 On Discrimination in Employment and Occupationor Convention no. 138 On the

Minimum Age or Admission to Work.

The International Labour Standards act as an international code and defne principles and goals that must be

ollowed. Its structure gives the possibility to governments, employers and employees to agree on basic rules

o agreement in the sphere o work. The International Labour Organization (ILO), in order to spread among the

nations global programs to achieve ull employment and raising the standard o living, reviews and evaluates

the role o economic and fnancial policies in employment policy. Some o the International Labour Conventions

and Recommendations that are directly related to employment policy are:

Convention and Recommendation on the Employment Service, 1948

Recommendation on Proessional Leadership, 1949

Recommendation on Proessional Qualifcation, 1962

Convention and Recommendation on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation), 1958

Recommendation on Employment Policy, 1964

Recommendation on Employment Policy (Supplementary Provisions), 1984

Convention no. 138 On the Minimum Age at Work (1973), ratifed by Albania in 1996

Convention no. 182 on Prohibition o the Worst Forms o Underage Labour (1999), ratifed by Albania

in 2001

Convention no. 131, dated 06.06.1970 Minimum Wage Assignment, ratifed by Albania through Law

no. 8775, dated 23.04.2001

Convention No. 26 Establishment o a Mechanism or Setting the Minimum Wage (1928), ratifed by

Albania through Law Nr.8786, dated 07.05.2001

Convention Nr.95 Protection o Wages (1949), ratifed by Albania through Law Nr.8787, dated

07.05.2001

Convention no. 183 Maternity Protection (2000) o ILO, ratifed by Albania through Law Nr.8829, dated

05.11.2001

Convention nr.155 Occupational Saety, Health and Working Environment (1981), ratifed by Albania

through Law Nr.9147, dated 30.10.2003

C100 - Equal Remuneration Convention (1951), and others.

An important international document which we must emphasise when analysing the feld o employment law

12. Article 49 o the Constitution o the Republic o Albania

13. Section 1. General principles. Recommendation on the Employment Policy (Supplementary Provisions) 198414. Article 4, which is about the orced labour or coercion, the European Convention on Human Rights, ratifed by Albania 1996..


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15. Article 1, Law No. 7995, dated 20.09.1995 On the Promotion o Employment

is the Convention on the Elimination o All Forms o Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In article

11, the Convention specifes the obligations o the participant countries in the feld o employment requiring

them to: take measures to eliminate discrimination against women/girls in the feld o employment; to ensure,

on the basis o equality o men and women, the right to work, equal employment opportunities, ree choice o

proession, proessional preparation and qualifcation, promotion opportunity, equal pay, social security, health

protection and saety at work including maintenance o reproductive unction. In article 13, the Conventionspecifes that participant countries shall take all measures to eliminate discrimination against women/girls

in other areas o economic and social lie to ensure the same rights, mainly concerning the right to amily

benefts ocusing on the right to credit, loans and other orms o fnancial credit. Meanwhile in Article 14, the

Convention emphasizes the act that participant countries should consider the problems aced by women/girls

in rural areas and the roles they play in the economic survival o their amilies, including work on non-monetary

sectors o the economy and should take appropriate measures to ensure implementation o this Convention

or women/girls in rural areas.

Similarly, in this context it is worth emphasizing the importance o a range o European Union documents, such

as:

Directive o the European Parliament and the European Commission o 23 September 2002 - toimplement the principle o equal treatment or men and women regarding access to employment,

proessional education and increase in responsibility and working conditions;

European Commission Directive 86/613/EEC o 11 December 1986 - to implement the principle o

equal treatment between men and women involved in economic activities based on sel-employment,

including agriculture, and to protect womens sel- employed during the pregnancy and maternity leave.

European Commission Directive o July 2010 or candidate countries - to increase employment o

women/girls, increasing social inclusion o women/girls and marginalized groups, as well as increase o

sel-employed/businesses run by women/girls;

European Union Strategy or equality between men and women 2010-2015 - which highlights many

important actions to be taken to promote gender equality in the implementation o all aspects, including

employment.

Another important document is also the one that contains the Millennium Development Objectives, in

support o which the Parliament adopted in July 2003 a corresponding resolution. The Third objective o the

Millennium Development Objectives is specifcally designed to empower women/girls, including their economic

empowerment.

B. ALBANIAN LEGISLATION.

The Labour Code o the Republic o Albania, approved by Law no. 7961, dated 12.7.1995, as amended

and completed by Law no. 8085, dated 13.3.1996, as well as by law no. 9125, dated 29.7.2003. This Code

is based on the main constitutional provisions o the Republic o Albania respects the ratifed internationalconventions and is based on generally accepted norms o international law. The Labour Code recognizes the

equal right or men and women to choose their proession reely, the right to equal remuneration or equal work,

the right to annual paid leave, etc.

Law no. 7995, dated 20.09.1995 On the Promotion o Employment, which underwent changes and

amendments to Law Nr.8444, dated 21.01.1999 and Law Nr.8862, dated 07.03.2002. The purpose o the

law in relation to employment, proessional training and qualifcation, the National Employment Service and the

employment und, is to actively pursue the general policy to support ull employment, productive and reely

chosen15. The state creates and develops the Labour Ofces, which operate under the control o a central

authority, to ulfl the right o all citizens resident in Albania, to profting employment, to receive counselling and


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proessional training or any such employment and to receive income support16.

Law 7986, dated 13.09.1995 On State Inspectorate o Labour, as amended and completed by Law no.

8857, dated 07.02.2002, is intended to ensure the implementation o labour legislation by employers and

people employed by them.

Law Nr.9034, dated 20.03.2003, On the Migration o Albanian Citizens or Employment Reasons, regulates

relations in the feld o immigration o Albanian citizens, who leave the Republic o Albania or employment

purposes. The state guarantees care and protection o its citizens and immigrants as well as maintaining and

strengthening their ties with the Republic o Albania. The subjects o this law are Albanian citizens who migrate

or employment in another countries, under the provisions o this law and international standards accepted by

the receiving country. In this law there defned the rights o Albanian citizens on immigration (employment) as

well as the liabilities o the Albanian state towards immigrants.

Law no. 9970, dated 24.07.2008 On gender equality in society, evidently satisfes the legal ramework

regarding equal rights between women and men. This law puts both sexes in equal positions in relation to

employment, education, decision-making, anti-discriminatory behaviour and sexual harassment.

Law no. 8872, dated 29 March 2002, On education and proessional training in the

Republic o Albania, in Article 1, paragraph 3, stipulates the right o lielong education and

proessional training. This law guarantees ull equality o treatment or all, regardless o

gender, regarding access to education and proessional training, counselling and guidance.

Directive No. 394, dated 23 February 2004, by the Ministry o Labour, Social Aairs and Equal Opportunities

On the ees o proessional education system, specifes that vulnerable categories, including Roma and

trafcked women/girls, do not pay any registration ee or training courses oered by the Public Centres o

Proessional Training.

Law no. 10221, dated 04.02.2010 On protection rom discrimination, on chapter 217 has a number o articles

which speciy the prohibition o discrimination in employment, the obligations o the employers and the rights

o the employees.

Some strategies developed during recent years, in which is treated as a priority the issue o employment or

proessional training, are listed as ollows:

National Strategy or Gender Equality and against Domestic Violence 2007-201018, in objective 3.1

o which is highlighted the growing number o projects or programs which promote proessional training and

employment o women and girls, as well as the extension o these projects in rural areas. National Strategy or Gender Equality, Violence towards Women and Domestic Violence 2011 -

201519, based on the above-mentioned strategy, has one o its main goals the economic empowerment

o women and men through addressing gender inequalities that lead to poverty, as well as promoting social

inclusion.

Social Protection Sectoral Strategy20defnes women as one o the vulnerable groups. The presence o

the objective or access to social services in this strategy has helped in viewing social problems in gender points

o view. In the social protection strategy there is a special part in relation to women/girls which emphasizes the

16. Article 2, Law No. 7995, dated 20.09.199517. Chapter II, Articles 12 - 16.

18. Approved by DCM no. 913 dated 19.012.2007;

19. Approved by DCM no. 573 dated 16.06.2011

20. Approved by DCM 80, dated 28.01.2008


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social services or victims o trafcking and women/girl victims o domestic violence.

Cross-Sectoral Strategy on Rural Development21, in which women/girls are treated as a vulnerable

category along with children and the elderly. The issue o women is also related to the migration o men rom

rural areas and the scarcity o social services that aect women/girls.

Cross-Sectoral Strategy on Public Administration Reorm22, aims the quality o public services and

states that women/girls employed in public administration are equally protected by common law. Gender quotasthat could regulate the representation o women/girls in the public administration sector do not constitute an

obligation or the employee.

The National Strategy or Development and Integration 2007-201323 represents the countrys

undamental strategic document that combines the perspective o sustainable economic development

and social integration in the European Union and NATO, as well as achieving the Millennium Development

Objectives. In this national strategy it is considered that the growth rate o employment is one o the conditions

or sustainable development. This can be achieved through improved inrastructure and increased investment,

but also through investment in human capital. The strategy shares the same purpose with the Lisbon Agenda

to pull into the job market and to keep more people employed, as a vital instrument that supports economic

growth, social cohesion and fghts poverty.

Strategy for Decentralizationand LocalGovernance24 - The decentralization o employment services,education and social welare charges the local power with enormous responsibility o securing the rights o

women/girls to be represented equally with men/boys.

21. Approved by DCM nr.775 dated 14.11.2007

22. Approved by DCM nr.1017, dated 18.09.2009

23. Approved by DCM nr.342 dated 12.03.2008

24. According to Law 8652 dated 31.07.2000 On the organization and unctioning o local government.


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eMployMent Sectoral Strategy

2007 - 2013

The Employment Sectoral Strategy aims to lay the main strategic basis or the Ministry o Labour, Social

Aairs and Equal Opportunities or the development o employment services and proessional training. This

means improving the quality o services towards job seeking and employing clients by improving the quality o

employment services, as well as efcient implementation o active and passive programs. The main goal is to

reduce unemployment at the unemployment rate or European Union countries gradually until 2013. The main

priorities o this strategy are:

Reduction o unemployment by 0.3% - 04% each year;

Increase in employment by 1.9% - 2.2% per year;

To include within 2013 20% o the registered unemployed to participate in an active program in the orm

o training, retraining, workplace practices, or other measures that generate employment;

Programs or the opening o new jobs and retaining existing ones; Promote proessional training throughout lie;

Increase investment in human capital;

Ensure all the states support or the unemployed and groups in need;

Improving the perormance o employment services network within the existing capacity;

To create a positive climate or business development and investment, increase competitiveness o

SMEs in regional and global market through the development o inormation and technology, reduction

o administrative barriers and creating incentives or business;

Gradual narrowing o the impact o the inormal sector.

The main objective o employment policies is to support job seekers in fnding a suitable job. Employment

policies are an important tool or improving the labour market situation, but still have a limited impact on

reducing unemployment. This comes as a result o several actors in the labour market that are related to the

act that labour market policies are costly and require more people to implement them.

One o the dimensions o Sectoral Employment Strategy is gender equality and equal opportunities. The

National Employment Service should provide measures to monitor equal opportunities and equal treatment

between men and women in employment services, proessional training, and support it in case o unemployment.

Special policies are scheduled to be ollowed or groups o women in need, such as:

Forheadofhouseholdswomenandvictimsoftrafcking,measureswillbetakentoprovideprofessional

training at public proessional training centers (ree service), and measures or their employment. This also

relates to prevention o trafcking.

Forwomen/girlsofRomaandEgyptiancommunitytherewillworktosensitizethestaffofemploymentofces

or the implementation o existing programs to increase employment opportunities or these groups (DCM 632

dated 18.09.2003) and the measures predicted in the National Integration o the Roma Community.

Also in 2007-2013 PSU there are objectives relating to employment and proessional training or the Roma

community, employment and proessional training or children working in inormal ways as well as policies or

employment and proessional training o potential migrants and those returning.

Improving the business environment and actions or SME. Development o SME sector is considered

as the most efcient or economies in transition, which generates sustainable economic growth, employment

and poverty alleviation. Macroeconomic growth was around 6% beore 2008, but dropped to 3% in 2010 25.

25. Albania 2011 Annual Progress Report, European Commission 2011, Report on the global development o humanity.


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Undoubtedly, the SME sector has an important contribution in this process. The contribution o SME sector is

valued to provide about 64% to the GNP and the employment o about 66% o employees in the private sector.

Passive programs - unemployment beneft. Unemployment benefts are paid or up to one year or people

who have paid contributions or at least 12 (twelve) months. In order to promote training during their period o

unemployment, unemployment payments can be extended up to 18 (eighteen) months, provided they receiveno salary or other beneft during the training period.

Proessional training. The main objectives o the strategy in relation to education and proessional training are:

(a) Increase the exibility o the oer, opportunities to access, advancement and vertical and horizontal mobility

in proessional education and training, (b) modernization o the curriculum model or linking with the labour

requirements and increase the degree o exibility, (c) Development o institutional mechanisms to perorm new

unctions and support unctions in the current proessional education and training, (d) Development o teaching

and managerial competence personnel o the proessional education, (e) Completion o normative-legal

ramework o education and proessional training to support all reorm changes in this sector, () quantitative

and qualitative development o the objects, acilities and teaching aids to support the anticipated qualitative

and quantitative growth o the supply o education and proessional training.

Measures to improve the situation in the inormal market. The phenomenon o inormal work has its

negative sides such as: disorientation o the labour market, encouraging illegal work, reducing revenues to the

state budget, reduction o income or social security and health, creating a vulnerable class o people, etc. In

order to minimize black labour, new efcient methods that use the experience o other countries are being

introduced.

Protection and health at work. Protection and health at work are a key priority and at the same time a

continuous process and purpose. The achievement o this goal will be reached through harmonization o

legislation on the health and saety at work with EU legislation, as well as improving the capacity or control

and protection services.

Social dialogue. For the improvement o social dialogue in Albania, the actors o social dialogue in the country

have recommended: (a) Further improvement o the legal system, reecting the requirements o international

conventions, (b) Increase the efciency o social dialogue at central level, branch- proession level, regional and

local level, (c) Improving the unctioning, organizational perection, increasing the degree o autonomy, urther

expanding the scope o consultation, as well as increasing the level o management. The ollowing proposals

have been made: Institutionalization o the sectoral dialogue through the establishment o common ground,

mainly or industrial relations, education and health: Improving the unctioning o the consultative councils

in regional and local level, by expanding the scope o consultation and appointment o technical structures

management, expansion o private sector union organization.

Other planned goals through the implementation o this Strategy are:

To perorm a realistic analysis conorm the standards o EU countries, there will be or the period 2007

- 2013: Annual analysis o the eectiveness o programs to promote employment, as a prerequisite

or determining the priorities or the coming year; as well as analysis and monitoring by international

institutions like the EU and the ILO, the perormance o programs aimed at improving their implementation

in the uture. In the longer term, it is proposed that the monitoring o these programs is made by

accredited independent expertise and certifed or the realization o such a mission.

Proessional practice will be a new program in the labour market. This program will ocus on the

category o youngsters, who have just fnished their studies at their university or high school within the

country and abroad and are unemployed, as a result o lack o work experience. For this reason, these

youngsters will be included in proessional practice programs (internships) in enterprises or institutions

whether private or public.


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In addition to proessioonal practice programs, in the promotion o youth employment it is aimed: (a)

ongoing implementation o programs to promote employment where priority will be given to youngsters,

(b) the efcient implementation o the counselling program or employment and occupation, including

mobile counselling programs in schools, universities and in the employment ofce, (c) or specifc groups

o youngsters there will be measures taken in connection with their proessional training with reduced

ees or ree public proessional training centres. Another program on the labour market will be one or people with disabilities (PWD). The purpose o

this program is to implement the employment promotion law (Article 17), regulate the obligation o the

employer or employing PWD and in cases where he/she does not do this, to deposit in the NES und

a minimum salary or each person that has not been employed. The unds collected will be used or

opening new jobs or these people. The orms o support will be: (i) fnancing at the national minimum

wage and mandatory insurance or each employee, (ii) subsidies or the provision or adaptation o the

workplace, (iii) ees or the ormation through work, (iv) job openings in which are hired massively people

with disabilities (workshops and common employment centres).


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Mapping of eMployMent ServiceS,

BaSed on the eMployMent

Sectoral Strategy 2007-2013

A. Employment services.

Employment public service in the labour market is implemented by the National Employment Service (NES),

which is an independent public service, with the status o a central state administration, answering to the

Minister o Labour, Social Aairs and Equal Opportunities. The highest decision-maker o the National

Employment Service is the Tripartial Administrative Council with the participation o 3 (three) representatives

o employers, 3 (three) employees and 7 (seven) o the state. Services oered by the NES include activities

such as: (i) the registration o jobseekers, (ii) employment mediation (matching demand and supply or labour),

(iii) guidance and counseling or job seekers, (iv) preparation o documentation or unemployment benefts, (v)

orientation and placement in proessional training, (vi) the collection o inormation on the labour market, (vii)

implementation o programs to promote employment. The National Employment Service as an institution thatprovides services and implementing employment policies in the labour market, accomplishes this mission

through a network o 36 (thirty six) Employment Ofces. Creating a quality system o services necessitates the

creation o a computerized inormation system o employment services, as well as initial and continuing training

o the NES sta.

The strategic objective or 2007-2013 in the feld o employment services is the modernization o services by

continuously transorming the NES rom an institution that provides administrative services to the institution

that provides services to its two main customers, unemployed jobseekers and business. To achieve this

objective it is necessary: (i) institutional strengthening and development o employment services system, (ii) to

create a modern and unique system o employment services across the country through the improvement and

development o methods o work and managerial capacity o the sta, (iii) to increase employment and decreaseunemployment through the implementation o active employment policies, (iv) to establish and develop strong

partnership relationships with other actors operating in the labour market, especially with the social partners.

The objectives that have been taken and continue to apply to achieve these key objectives can be grouped

as ollows:

1. Creating a modern and unique system o employment services across the country;

2. Establishment and development o partnership relations with other actors in the labour market;

3. Development o Inormation Technology (IT) in the employment services as a key actor or improving

the quality o services;

4. Improving contacts with enterprises;

5. Human resources development.

B. Private employment services.

Albania has ratifed convention no. 181 o the ILO Private Employment Agencies which includes activities that

a private employment agency need to conduct and the rights and obligations o the clients o such services.

Starting rom 1999, Albanian legislation allows the creation and operation o private employment agencies.

These agencies provide: (i) services to assess the requests and applications or employment within and outside

the country, (ii) services related to job searching, (iii) services or hiring workers, to become available to a third

party, physical or legal person, who assigns tasks and supervises their implementation. The activity o private

agencies is mainly ocused on hiring a limited number o people, especially those abroad. The main goals or

the improvement o private employment agencies in the labour market are:

To increase their cooperation with public employment services; Stricter control at the time o licensing, so that those who receive the license are able to perorm the

services;


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26. Employment promotion program to be implemented or the frst time in 2007

C. Employment promotion programs

Employment promotion programs were presented or the frst time in Albania in 1999. The main aim o these

programs is: (i) the creation o new jobs and reduce unemployment, (ii) the proessional training o unemployed

job seekers, especially in those areas where there are no training acilities, (iii) help the company to increase its

activity and to make a better selection o the workorce, (iv) direct encouragement o employment o a part o

the trainees, (v) minimization o black labour; (vi) involvement in these programs o unemployed job seekers,benefciaries o the schemes o income support in order to reduce the costs o these programs, (vii) to promote

youth employment and special groups o unemployed. Employment promotion programs are the only active

state programs that operate directly in the group o unemployed job seekers to encourage them to fnd a long

term employment. These programs, along with the mediation program at work, inuence realistically to reduce

the number o registered unemployed and, more importantly, removing them rom the passive schemes o

income support (unemployment benefts and fnancial assistance).

Currently there are applied 5 (fve) employment promotion programs, as ollows:

1. The program o promoting employment o the unemployed job seekers: employers who hire with

temporary employment (3-6 months) the unemployed job seekers, can beneft monthly fnancing up to

100% o the minimum wage and social security costs o the benefciaries. I the benefciaries are hiredor a period o one year and through regular contracts, the employer has the right to receive a monthly

fnancing equal to the sum o a minimum wage and social security contributions mandatory or a period

up to 5 months. I the benefciary has no relevant proessional training to the task that he or she must

perorm and the employer oers it, he/she can gain an increase o 10-20 percent o unding or each

benefciary.

2. The program o promoting employment through proessional training: this program fnancially

supports the employers that provide the training o benefciaries and hire a number o the trainees or

at least a year. The government fnancially assists the employer in respect to wages and social security

contributions during nine months o training. Ater completing the training courses, the employer is

obliged to hire 40 (orty) percent o the trainees.

3. The program to encourage employment through institutional training: employment ofces

establish and provide training to the benefciaries o those companies that (i) guarantee employment

ater completion o training or (ii) can show through market studies and investigation work that the

training will be useul or the participants. The benefciaries who reuse to participate in these courses

are removed rom the list o unemployed job seekers and have their unemployment benefts stopped.

4. The employment promotion program o emale unemployed jobseekers: aims to integrate into the

labour market women/girls marginalized such as Roma women/girls, ormerly trafcked women, the

elderly and invalid women/girls. It lasts rom one to three years. During the frst year, the employer can

obtain 75 percent fnancing or social security contributions and 4 (our) minimum wages. During the

second year, employers receive 85 percent o contributions or social insurance and 6 (six) minimum

wages and during the third year they receive 100 percent o social security contributions and 8 (eight)minimum wages.

5. The program o promoting employment o unemployed job seekers who have completed higher

education at home and abroad, through their involvement in programs o proessional practices

in institutions/public or private companies26: public employers are required to give ree access o their

acilities to these job seekers, in relation to administration personnel, under the scheme: or every 50

sta members - one apprentice. Private employers, who take in their acilities unemployed job seekers

involved in this program, receive a monthly unding rom the respective employment ofce, at 100

percent o the base level o unemployment beneft, or every month o practice o the job seeker. The

same measure o unding is received by the unemployed job seekers involved in this program.


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27. Institute o Statistics, Outcomes o Labour Force Survey, 2009, http://www.instat.gov.al/graphics/doc/downloads/ls/Rezultate%20AFP% 202009.pd

28. Ibid

29. INSTAT, Labour Force Survey 2009

30. Ibid

Chart 1: Key labour market indicators by gender. Source: AFP 2009

0%Unemployment rate Employment rate Inactivity rate

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Male

Female

Participation o women in the labour market.

According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2009, the population o working age in Albania is 2.15 million

people, while the labour orce is 1,346,000 people or 61.9% o the population 15-64 years old27. Women and

girls constitute 51.8% o the economically active population, while males constitute 73.3%. The participation

o women in the labour market has decreased in recent years. The level o participation o women in the

labour orce in 2009 was 51.8% versus 56.2% in 200728

. The employment rate or 2009 was 53.4%, whilethe unemployment rate was 13.8% o the population. I we look at the participation in the labour orce (ratio o

economically active population aged 15-64 and working age population), sorted by gender, we see a dierence

o 19.3% among males and emales. The rate o labour orce participation or males was 73.3% 29 and 51.8%

or emales. In 2008 there was an increase o the gender gap in comparison with the 2007 results o AFP.

The gender gap also, with respect to unemployment, is important. The unemployment rate or women/girls in

2009 was 15.9% and or men/boys was 12.2%, while in 2007 the unemployment o women/girls was 12.2%.

In connection with long-term unemployment women/girls are more likely to remain unemployed or a longer

period than men/boys. The dierence is signifcant, respectively 10.6% and 7.8%, and has grown over the

years. Since 2007, the long-term unemployment or women/girls has increased rom 8.8% to 10.6%. Also,

among the discouraged unemployed, women/girls make up about 70%30, which means that these women/

girls do not actively seek to reintegrate into the labour market.

Besides the above indicators, there are also other indicators that are just as important, or more, compared to

the level o employment and unemployment rates such as labour orce participation and the rate o inactivity.

The rate o inactivity reers to the percentage o people who, in principle, should have been active in the labour

market but are not registered either as employed or unemployed. This rate is 26.7% or men/boys, while or

women/girls is almost two times higher, respectively, 48.2%.

In relation to employment by sectors, we have a situation where the state sector has 54.3% male and 45.7%

emale, the private sector has 70.3% male and 29.7% emale, and the agricultural sector has 43.3% male

and 56.7% emale. The data o the employed in the public sector show that women/girls occupy the highest

percentage o employment in occupations such as specialist or simple worker, positions paid less, compared


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31. INSTAT, Females and Males in Albania, 2008

32. Source: Adapted rom Females and Males in Albania, INSTAT 2008

with proessions such as lawyers, clerks and high managers, policy makers, which employ mainly men/

boys. By making a comparison o employment in two levels, central and local, the data indicate that emales

represent a greater percentage o employment in the central level. Thus at the central government institutions,

43% o employees are emale, while this fgure in the local administration results at 30%. The employment o

emales is seen mainly in the sectors o health and education and less in other sectors such as bar-restaurants,

manuacturing, trade.

Table 3: Structure of employment by sector (15 - 64 years old). Source: LFS 2009.

Structure o labour orce

Male Female Total

Public Sector 16 17.6 16.7

Agriculture 33.2 56.5 43.2

Private Sector 50.8 25.9 40.1

The above table shows how men/boys and women/girls are represented in dierent sectors o the labour

market. It can be seen that a higher percentage o women/girls is employed in agriculture, 56.5%, comparedwith 33.2% or men/boys. Another signifcant gender dierence can be seen in the private sector, while in the

public sector there is little dierence between the participation o men/boys and women/girls.

In the industrial sector, textiles and shoemaking occupy about 30% o employment. Here is a work orce o

unskilled, underpaid and dominated by women/girls. Meanwhile at the agricultural sector which is decreasing,

we have a participation o men/boys o around 33.2% and 56.5% or women/girls. I we reer to the data o

women/girls employment by dierent sectors, we see that they are employed in less paid sectors31.

Table 4: Overall employment by economic activity32

Economic activities according to NACE code % male % emale

Activities or human health and social work 23.8 76.2

Education 37.0 63.0

Agriculture, orestry and fshing 43.6 56.4

Financial and insurance activities 49.6 50.4

Production 52.5 47.5

Other 62.4 37.2

Wholesale and retail trade 63.0 37.0

Accommodation and ood services activities 65.4 34.6

Public administration and deense 71.1 28.9

Real estate activities 76.1 23.9

Power supply and gas 78.7 21.3

Transportation and telecommunications 83.3 16.7

Extraction o minerals and stones 90.8 9.2

Construction 97.3 2.7

In this table we see how some sectors are exclusive to women/girls and some or men/boys. Again we have

the same view, where the sectors o health, education and social work are dominated by women/girls and it

should be noted that payments in these sectors are the lowest.

Women/girls are more vulnerable to dismissal, or are less avorable to be employed or maintain the workplace,

especially during pregnancy. The low level o remuneration o women/girls also aects their low participation

in private sel-employment activities, which provide higher income than the public sector. The low access to


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33. Amnesty International: Albania. Domestic Violence against Women. It is not her shame , 2005

34. Albania Country Gender Profle 2010, JICA.35. In the estimates the ages have not been weighted.

36. INSTAT- LSMS 2005

37. Concluding comments o the Committee on the Elimination o Discrimination Against Women, July 30, 2010 - Committee on the

Elimination o Discrimination o Women Forty-sixth session rom 12 to 30 July 2010.

property (only 8 percent o women/girls legally own property33), as well as the lack o avorable policies to

encourage private enterprise to women/girls, has led to a low number o those who run small businesses,

medium or large.

In 2005 only 17% o non-agricultural businesses were led by women/girls; in 2010 there was a small increase

o 18%34. Ensuring equal opportunities or paid employment has a positive impact in bringing the amily out o

poverty and increasing social status o women/girls in the amily. From an analysis o the actors aecting theamount o compensation, such as age group, education level and gender, the latter turns out to aect strongly.

Women/girls are signifcantly disadvantaged by men/boys, with an average salary o 35% lower or the same

educational level35. Also a more detailed analysis by economic sectors shows that the average net monthly

wages o men/boys is36 signifcantly higher than that o women/girls in all branches o the economy and the

dierence is more pronounced or salaried employees in the private non-agricultural sector.

The concern or the situation o women/girls in the labour market in Albania is also touched in the Closing

Comments37 o the orty-sixth session o the Committee on the Elimination o Discrimination against Women.

While commending the participant Country or its achievements in the employment sector, particularly concerning

the adoption o legislation relating to equal employment opportunities to women, the Committeeis concerned

about the prevalence o an incredibly high number o unemployment among women compared withmen, although the participant Country recognize that women have good academic results and that is prevalent

among women belonging to the most deprived groups or working in the inormal sector. The Committee is also

concerned about the state o social security o a high number o women that are removed rom work

ater the economic reorms and privatizations undertaken during the transition period in 1990. The

Committee is concerned about the large gender dierence in salaries, unimplemented support schemes

developed or women who need to ulfll amily obligations and work and limited supervision exercised

by the Labour Inspectorate, particularly with regard to dangerous workplaces or women, women

working at home and the inormal sector, and sexual harassment in the workplace. Given this situation,

in the relevant recommendations, the Committee urges the participant Country:

To ensure de acto equal opportunities or women and men in the labour market among other things, the

use o temporary and specifc measures in accordance with Article 4, paragraph 1, o the Convention

and the Committees general recommendation No. 25, also about women who have been without work

since the period o transition and are without adequate social security in order to avoid that they rely on

social assistance when they reach retirement age.

To monitor closely the situation o women working in the inormal sector and at home and introduce

measures relating to employment, to ensure that women have the opportunity to work ull-time and

permanently with adequate social benefts, i they wish.

To empower special training programs or dierent groups o unemployed women.

To strengthen also the eective measures that allow the combination o amily and proessional

responsibilities, particularly in rural areas and to promote sharing o amily and household responsibilities

between men and women, among others, through awareness and education initiatives or womenand men or the appropriate sharing o childcare or other dependent members o amily, as well as

household economical duties.

To review the issue o dierences in wages between men and women and to reer to research and

practices in relation to equal pay or equal work or work o equal value in order to overcome the

dierentiation in wages.

To strengthen inspection measures in order to ensure a better implementation o the Labour Code,

particularly with regard to dangerous working places that are flled by women, women working at home

and the inormal sector, and sexual harassment in the workplace.


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analySiS and interpretation

of data froM the Monitoring

As explained in the introduction o this report (on methodology), the main instruments or collecting inormation

wereinterviews and questionnaires, not the sel-administering type.

Interviews were mainly used in meetings with various employees o the Regional Employment Ofces in various

districts o the country. It must be said that despite the persistence to get a more complete inormation rom

all REO, not all the cases were successul. Bureaucracy and reluctance to provide inormation, we believe

that this reluctance is related to the word monitoring or the word NPO (Non-Profting Organisation),

have accompanied us almost throughout the whole process, especially when using the above mentioned

instruments.

RESULTS

When designing the questionnaire, care was taken in constructing the questions so that the level o knowledge

o the interviewed could be explored step by step. Thereore, frst there were used questions to collect generaldemographic inormation, then continued on inormation about previous employment relations (or those that

may have had one), inormation on unemployment, as well as inormation in terms o mediation and other

services oered by employment ofces.

From the demographic data o the sample, the link between unemployed job seekers and their education,

as presented in Figure 1, turns out to be as such: the two main groups that have the highest incidence to deal

with unemployment, and as a result o being registered as active unemployed job seekers, are those with eight-

year education and secondary (college) education and, rom the total o the interviewed, these groups occupy

2/3. Meanwhile, within each o these two groups, results that the number o unemployed job seeking males

with secondary education is higher than that o unemployed job seeking emales, with the same educational

level o around 5%. This data draws attention to the act that some women/girls with secondary education

begin to leave work relations due to the inclusion and greater commitment to amily obligations (marriage,

birth, raising children, etc). In other words, their absence in the labour market is not always noticed and oten

considered normal since they are already expected to meet the obligations traditionally involved in social

reproductive role and their commitment is expected to be much larger in the jobs inside the house and amily

obligations. Another interesting actor evidenced by the monitoring is that unemployed job seekers with higher

education are at a greater percentage than that o unemployed job seekers who have attended secondary

vocational education, which emphasizes the importance and necessity o this type o education. Meanwhile,

Figure 1. Relation o unemployed job seekers to the educational level

0%Uneducated

0.9% 1.3%3.0%

4.9%

31.7% 31.7%

36.5%

30.9%

13.2%

10.0%

13.9%

20.7%

0.8% 0.4%

ElementarySchool

8-yearsSchool

HighSchool

ProfessionalHigh School

PostGraduated

University

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Male

Female


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Figure 2. Relations o unemployed job seekers to their civil status

38. Please remember the limitations o monitoring explained in chapter Methodology

39. Spouses are separate, but have not yet started/completed the process o divorce

24.1% 24.6%

73.9%

67.2%

0.9%4.5%

0.6%2.6%

0.2% 0.6%

Single Married Divorced Widow Separated0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Male

Female

as can be seen rom the graph, girls/women with primary and high education registered as unemployed job

seekers, are at a higher percentage than boys/men o the same educational level. Two categories that seem

less aected by the problem o unemployment, rom the data presented in Figure 1, appear to be non educated

people and those with post-graduate education. In act, the interpretation o this graphical representation is

associated only with our sampling and does not constitute a basis or generalization38. In the sampling o the

interviewed, the number o those without education or post-graduate education has been much smaller thanthe number o people belonging to other educational levels. However, in a broader plan rom our sample, we

cannot not draw attention to the act that i or people with post university education there are reduced chances

or being unemployed, precisely because o their educational level, or non educated people the chances or

being unemployed are much higher. But what aects the non evidention o this act is the declaration or non

declaration o their position as unemployed, through the registration at employment ofces. This conclusion

draws attention to the great importance that should be given to awareness o the population towards registering

as unemployed job seekers and the creation o trust that the appropriate structures will treat with priority the

registered.

From the demographic data o the sample, the link between unemployed job seekers and their

civil status, as presented in Figure 2, turns out to be as such: 70% o unemployed job seekers belongto the married civil status, while another group identifed with a high percentage is that o single. I

we urther analyze these two groups under a gender perspective, it is noted that i among single unemployed

job seekers the number o women and men is the same, in the group o married unemployed jobs

eekers the number o emale unemployed job seekers is lower than that o males. This act supports the

previous conclusion regarding the withdrawal o married women rom the labour market at a certain period o

time due to other obligations associated with raising a amily, giving birth and raising children, etc. Meanwhile,

regarding groups o unemployed job seekers who are divorced, separated39 or widowed, it is noted

that even though they are ewer in numbers in terms o their position o ormer job seekers, again within

these groups it is women who have been aected more by unemployment. This is a very important act that

should be considered a priority by all the institutions that oer services in the feld o employment in order to

help these vulnerable groups.

I we reer to the relation o unemployed job seekers to the type o amily they live in/create, then

the data collected or our sample show that the majority o unemployed job seekers are parents o least

one child (80% o respondents), a situation that makes it even more imperative and urgent the solution to


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Figure 3: Relation o unemployed jobseekers to their position in the amily.

71.6%

13.2%

39.2%

3.2%

62.8%

36.3%

0.2% 0.4% 0.3%

24.7%22.1%23.2%

Head of the family Spouse Partner Child0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Total

Male

Female

Figure 4: Sectors in which unemployed job seekers have had prior employment relations

54.7% 55.1%

44.1% 43.0%

1.1% 1.6%

Privat State Non for prot0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Male

Female

their problem since they have dependent children. Most o the respondents live in amilies with a

crown. Meanwhile, regarding the position o the interviewed in their amily (Figure 3), it results that the bulk o the

respondents are in a position o head o amily - group in which men dominate. There have been however

respondents at the position o spouse - group in which women dominate, as well as respondents in the

position o children where we see an almost equal involvement o both genders. These data also draws our

attention towards another gender stereotype in relation to employment, where men are mostly those who arecharged by society with the task o having a job outside the amily, with the purpose o providing income and

better wellbeing or th