97,000 employed in regulated professions, with doctors and dentists the highest paid

Around 97,100 people are employed in regulated professions in Albania, spread across 18 categories, including doctors, nurses, teachers, dentists, lawyers, notaries, bailiffs, auditors, and certified accountants.

The data were published in the National Action Plan for Transparency and Proportionality of the Criteria for Practicing Regulated Professions, prepared by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with GIZ.

Regulated professions account for 8% of total employment in the country. According to INSTAT, Albania has an estimated 1,177,245 employed people. These professions contribute directly between 4% and 5% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while their indirect impact reaches up to 10% of GDP.

The sector is dominated by education and healthcare. Albania has 36,321 teachers, 23,800 nurses, and around 9,100 doctors. They are followed by approximately 5,000 lawyers, 4,240 civil engineers, 3,927 dentists, 2,920 pharmacists, and 2,171 physiotherapists.

According to the document, doctors and dentists are the highest-paid professionals. Doctors earn an average monthly salary of around 120,000 lekë, while dentists earn about 100,000 lekë. The average monthly salary for lawyers, notaries, private bailiffs, statutory auditors, and certified accountants is 88,800 lekë.

The analysis also highlights gender and regional disparities. Women dominate the nursing and teaching professions, accounting for more than 70% of employees, while their representation in the legal and engineering fields remains below 40%. At the same time, most professionals are concentrated in Tirana and other major cities, while rural areas continue to face shortages of specialists, particularly in healthcare and education.

"This urban concentration creates regional inequalities, while the transparency and proportionality reform aims to facilitate mobility and achieve a more balanced distribution of services," the national action plan states.

National plan covers 337 regulated professions

The National Action Plan identifies around 337 regulated professions overseen by 33 institutions, including ministries, professional orders, professional chambers, and regulatory authorities. The document aims to align Albanian legislation with European Union standards by simplifying licensing procedures and reducing barriers that restrict access to regulated professions.

According to the analysis, lengthy licensing procedures, legal requirements, and administrative restrictions have contributed to shortages of professionals in strategic sectors, delayed young people's entry into the labor market, and limited competition. The reform seeks to make the system more transparent and better aligned with the European labor market.

The Ministry of Justice is directly responsible for three professions and, through the National Bankruptcy Agency, indirectly oversees an additional profession. In cooperation with four National Professional Chambers—the Bar Association, Notaries, Private Bailiffs, and Mediators—it also participates in the regulation and oversight of five other professions, bringing the total under its remit to nine.

The Ministry of Interior regulates two professions in the fields of private security and civil protection.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection directly regulates two professions out of the 14 identified in the healthcare sector, while the remaining health professions are administered through professional orders. In this framework, six professional orders operate as independent public non-budgetary bodies, overseeing a total of 11 professions: the Order of Physicians (general practitioners and medical specialists), the Order of Nurses (six professions), the Order of Pharmacists (one profession), the Order of Dentists (one profession), the Order of Psychologists (one profession), and the Order of Social Workers (one profession).

The Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Professional Order of Veterinarians, an independent public non-budgetary body, oversees four veterinary professions. The Professional Order of Veterinarians regulates and supervises four regulated professions, as well as one profession with undefined status—the veterinary assistant—which exists in name but lacks specific regulation.

The Ministry of Environment, either directly or through the National Environment Agency, oversees seven professions in the fields of environmental protection and waste management.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy represents the largest sector, with around 26 professions under its direct responsibility, as well as additional professions administered by subordinate or independent authorities. The Civil Aviation Authority oversees nine professions, the General Maritime Directorate 14 professions, and the General Directorate of Road Transport Services six professions, bringing the sector's total to 55 regulated professions.

The Ministry of Education regulates the teaching profession, which includes around 28 subject specializations in pre-university education, and cooperates with the Ministry of Economy and Innovation on professions related to vocational training instructors.

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports oversees around 37 professions across three areas: approximately 23 professions in culture, of which 21 are supervised by the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, 10 professions in tourism, and four professions in sports.

The Ministry of Economy and Innovation oversees two professions in vocational education, around 167 professions in crafts and economic services in cooperation with the National Chamber of Crafts, and four professions administered by the General Directorate of Industrial Property, for a total of approximately 173 professions in the sector.

The Ministry of Finance, through the General Directorate of Customs, regulates the profession of customs agent, while the Public Oversight Board—an independent regulatory authority whose members are appointed by the Minister of Finance—oversees two professions in auditing and accounting, bringing the total to three regulated professions in the finance sector. The Financial Supervisory Authority, as an independent institution, regulates and supervises five professions in the financial services and insurance sector.

This broad institutional structure reflects the complexity of Albania's regulated professions system and underscores the need for strong inter-institutional coordination, standardized regulatory practices, and consistent implementation of the principles of transparency and proportionality across all sectors, in line with the requirements of Article 59 of Directive 2005/36/EC.

“KORÇA BOOM”