Demographic discourse
Thanks to the data published some time ago by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies for the period 2010-2019, it appears that about 499 thousand people have emigrated from Albania, in a recent report on the net migration of the Western Balkans, proving that Albania holds first place in the region.
Nail Draga
The phenomenon of population emigration is not an unknown phenomenon because it has covered almost all countries in the region, remaining a matter of concern for the people of the respective countries. In this respect, the countries of the former socialist camp are distinguished by the number of emigration of the population, which is evidence of economic poverty inherited from the time of monism, but also of unconsolidation in the period of social transition.
The data published some time ago by the Institute for International Economic Studies in Vienna are related to the countries of the former Yugoslavia, including Albania, which in the political vocabulary is known as the Western Balkans, providing statistical data on this disturbing contemporary phenomenon.
Albania stands out in this group, thanks to the number of emigrants that have been calculated through the authorizations for residence permits issued for the first time by these countries. The data were obtained by experts from Eurostat for EU countries as well as from non-EU countries.
It is reported that 56% of permits are issued for family reasons, 17.5% for work and the rest are reported for study or other reasons.
Compared to other countries such as Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia and Kosovo, Albania resulted in the highest number of emigrants of 499,000 which if compared to the population in the country is a concern for the present and the future of the Albanian nation. Since we are dealing with data from a competent institution such data should be taken seriously and analyzed to find solutions to stop the emigration of the population because the consequences are great.
Poverty as a cause of emigration
Regarding the causes of such emigration as a fundamental factor, Vienna experts point to the high level of poverty, especially in Albania and Kosovo, which is evidence of the legacy of economic development in the period of socialism.
If we take as a barometer of economic development the per capita income of the inhabitants in the region, it is clear that Albania and Kosovo are at the lowest level, so it is not surprising the high level of emigration of the population.
According to the data we have at the moment, the most sought after country for immigrants is Germany, because it offers employment opportunities with more than some other countries, either seasonally or for a longer period of time.
There is no dilemma that among the emigrants the first place is occupied by those of young age, where from the published data it appears that for the young people from Montenegro, for the period 2010-2019, 20 thousand work permits have been issued. The activities show that most work permits are seasonal in nature for tourism, construction, trade, etc.
Compared to other countries that have been considered, Albania differs in terms of emigration of age groups, because from here all age groups emigrate, although even here young people dominate, so it is no coincidence that for this period from Albania have emigrated almost half a million Albanians (499,000). While 351,730 inhabitants emigrated from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina 272,155, Kosovo 246,540, Northern Macedonia 160,633 and Montenegro 22,080 inhabitants.
Young people emigrate the most
In the motive of emigration of the population, in addition to high unemployment and lack of prospects in the respective countries, another motive is the reunification of families and education, respectively study in different profiles, always remain the causes of emigration of the population. As for the age group, experts from Vienna suggest that the unemployment rate in the young age groups (15-19 and 20-24 years) in the Balkan countries is much higher than in the older ones, where a trend of such if there is no other access by governments in the respective countries to this category, will continue in the future.
Assessing such data from the Vienna Institute, it should be noted that Albania has planned to hold the census in 2020, but due to the pandemic it was postponed. It is announced that the census will be carried out until the conditions are created after the pandemic, where we will have more complete data on the emigration of the population to the outside world.
