Unstoppable immigration in recent years has caused gaps in the labor market. Many industries are operating below capacity, while other businesses have raised wages. They are no longer looking for trained or qualified employees, but only someone who is on the job.
Large manufacturing plants are the ones that are facing serious difficulties in their daily activities. Workers are needed for different production cycles and they are absent, creating quite a few problems, writes A2.
Bardhyl Baltëza has the largest paper recycling plant in Albania. In the area of Porto Romano, where the factory is located, there is no workforce, as young people and those who can work have emigrated. The only way for the business to continue working is to hire workers from abroad, which is not an easy and costly process, but with the current conditions of the labor market remains the only solution.
“There are also foreigners in our factory. From India. We only received from India, but we are still struggling. We got 25 workers, but unfortunately 10 left us. Once 5 and then 5 more. Now we are waiting for them to take 10-15 more as we have a big shortage of manpower. The workers fled. Here we had 168 workers. Currently we need a minimum of 20 people. It is a disease that we cannot solve. It is very difficult. Those we have have passed a specialization course, have experience. They come beginners.
Language is not a problem, they Indians speak some English. We have created all the conditions here. We train them. We have made it a hotel, a restaurant, we have put two women who serve it. There are great costs and difficulties. They came through agencies with employment contracts, said Baltëza in EconoMIX from Aurora Sulçe on A2 CNN.
He adds that the main problem with workers from Asian countries is that they see Albania as a stepping stone to leave for EU countries. “The main problem is that we took 25 and got away with 10. Even before the police, we are guilty because they had the place here. We kept the passports, but he ran away again. They leave India with the mentality of going to Europe and they see Albania as a way”, said Baltëza in A2.
As for the costs, the entrepreneur says that it is high. “They get a salary, the minimum is $400 a month. They have food taken away, sleep. There are two women who serve him. These are all investments”,
He states categorically that the solution does not come from India, but from the Albanians. “The choice is for Albanians to work here. Let’s create conditions for them to receive salaries the same as abroad. It is not a solution to take Indians and bring them here. But why should our families without children stay here”
But who are the most productive? “There is no big difference. Ours have a problem that you can’t talk to them much because they run away. They are wiser. We have had good salaries here and the workers have been satisfied. I have the case of a worker who fled to Italy and came back again. We had to buy a machine in Italy and he told me that he would bring it to me in a month. I also took a person to learn the job. I took a person there.
He stayed there for a month, came, worked for two months and left there for 1700 euros. At that time he used to get 500 thousand old here. When we installed the new line, he received 550 thousand old lek. Now he gets 800 thousand because he is a very good expert. He fled to Italy, but returned again. He said sorry that I was wrong to run away, but I thought that with 1700 euros I would take 500 euros home, but I didn’t succeed and I couldn’t even save 150 euros. Today he is one of the best technicians here”, says the entrepreneur.
Meanwhile, for 15 years, Lali from India has made friends with everyone and speaks a little Albanian, rather the words he needs in the work process. Unlike many foreign workers who have used Albania as a transit to EU countries, Lali is satisfied and thinks of staying here for a long time.
The lack of workers has become significant, especially in recent years, and the hemorrhaging of departures has not stopped even though wages have increased, according to INSTAT.
