This was the topic selected for the Round Tables in the 3 areas of implementation of the YourJob Albania program. These Roundtables convened all the local actors, who contribute and play an important role in the youth employment and their orientation in the labor market. In the three project areas participated about 12 people, representatives of public and private institutions and civil society organizations. The activities were carried out respecting all anti-Covid measures: a reduced number of participants and physical distance between them, as the round tables were carried out in a period with very high numbers of infected persons with COVID-19 in Albania.
The roundtables were moderated by a legal expert who made available the entire legal basis regarding the facilities the law provides for youth employment. She also pointed out the challenges faced every day due to the pandemic, which has hampered and penalized the employability of young people, both in the private and public sector.
Some data that clearly show the unemployment rate in Albania, as compared to the figures of one year ago:
“According to the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) the unemployment rate in Albania increased to 12.5% in the second quarter of 2020 from 12% in the corresponding period of one year ago, while the pandemic from COVID-19 hit the labor market. The employment rate decreased to 59.6% from 61.4% in 2019; and labor force participation rate fell to 68.1% from 69.8% one year ago. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate, considering the jobseekers aged 15-29, increased to 21.4% from 20.9% one year ago.”
The institutions and the businesses highlighted that the problem is the high rate of youth unemployment, especially for those who do not possess a profession. Another problem is that certain work places are considered as inappropriate by the young people, such as: the Fish Factory, the Shoes Factory, the Bricks Factory and the Guts Processing Factory.