Albania is no longer seeing growth in online jobs, recording the sharpest decline in the number of freelance workers

Albania is facing a significant decline in online platform workers.

According to the latest regional “Gigmetar” report for 2025, Albania ranks as the country with the sharpest drop in the number of freelance workers on platforms such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Guru among all countries in the Southeast European region.

While the region overall recorded only a slight contraction of 0.7% between July 2024 and May 2025, Albania registered the largest decline, with a 5.3% decrease in the total number of active workers on the major platforms.

The trend is especially noticeable on Upwork, where the number of Albanians engaged on the platform fell by 7.5%, and on Freelancer, where unlike other countries in the region that saw growth, Albania recorded a 1% decline.

The report also highlights another concern: Albania has the least active freelance population in the region, with only 28.2% of workers actually engaged in projects, compared to North Macedonia, which leads the region with more than 40%.

Experts behind the report suggest that the decline is being driven by uncertainty in the global technology sector and the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence, which is reshaping demand for services.

However, in Albania’s case, factors such as youth migration and the lack of specialized digital skills are seen as key reasons discouraging young workers from entering or remaining in this market.

Data from Gigmetar show that 4,108 Albanians are working on online platforms in 2025, marking a 5.3% decrease compared to 2024.

Despite the decline, Upwork remains the main platform for Albanians, holding 68.2% of the domestic market. The largest drop has been recorded in software development and creative design professions.

While Albania is moving away from platform-based work that flourished during the pandemic, countries such as Romania and Hungary have maintained stability or posted slight growth.

“KORÇA BOOM”