Salary over 200,000 ALL/month: Discover the three highest-paying professions in Albania

For the first time in 2024, a group of professions has reached an official average salary of more than 200,000 ALL per month.

According to detailed data from INSTAT, “Administrative and commercial managers” had an average gross monthly salary of 207,000 ALL in 2024, up from 194,000 ALL a year earlier, marking a 6.6% increase compared to the previous year’s average.

The second highest-paid profession is “Production and specialized services managers,” with an average salary of 156,700 ALL, or 8.8% higher than in 2023.

In third place are “Information and communication technology specialists,” earning an average of 156,600 ALL per month, almost equal to production managers. Compared to a year earlier, the increase is 8.8%.

IT specialists are becoming increasingly in demand for two reasons. First, with the advancement of technology, they are needed more and more. Second, this profession is highly sought after both in Europe and globally, leading many educated in this field to move abroad, which has reduced their availability in the country and pushed wages upward.

After managers and information technology specialists, the next best-paying jobs are in the public sector. The highest earners are “Armed forces officers,” with 118,700 ALL per month (an 8% increase). The list continues with “Lawmakers, senior state administration officials, and executive directors,” with 112,400 ALL (an 8.1% increase).

Pursuing studies in economics also brings relatively high returns. “Business and administration specialists” earned an average of 104,000 ALL per month in 2024, marking a 9.7% increase compared to the previous year.

Also, “Specialists in legal, social, and cultural fields” earn over 100,000 ALL per month, at 104,000 ALL.

For the first time, teaching is also paid above 100,000 ALL per month, with “Specialists in physics, mathematics, and engineering sciences” having an average gross monthly salary of 100,500 ALL.

Out of the 36 professional groups reported by INSTAT, only 8 have salaries above 100,000 ALL per month (see chart at the end).

The highest wage increases in 2024 were among “Teaching specialists,” with 13.3%, reaching nearly 90,000 ALL; “Health specialists,” with 99,000 ALL (+11.5%); and “Specialized healthcare assistants,” with 13.5%, reaching nearly 76,000 ALL gross per month, as a result of the reform for higher pay for teachers, doctors, and nurses.

At the bottom of the list for low wages are professions such as “Producers of agricultural, livestock, and fishing products for family needs,” with 47,000 ALL, and “Street vendors and various service workers,” with 45,000 ALL.

The overall average gross monthly salary in 2024 was 77,400 ALL, almost 10% higher compared to the previous year.

Salaries remain the lowest in the region

Despite continuous growth, influenced by several factors such as labor market pressure from emigration or administrative reforms, the average salary in the country still remains about 30% lower than in other countries of the region, with the exception of Kosovo.

The highest average gross monthly salary is in Serbia, at 1,150 euros per month (135,403 Serbian dinars). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the salary is nearly 1,100 euros (2,140 BAM). In Montenegro, the salary is 1,083 euros. Even North Macedonia pays employees on average more than one thousand euros per month, specifically 62,000 Macedonian denars, or 1,020 euros per month.

In Albania, salaries expressed in euros appear artificially higher due to the depreciation of the euro, while the real purchasing power of incomes in lek has declined because of the continuous rise in prices over the last three years (6.7% in 2022, 4.8% in 2023, and 2.2% in 2024). If converted at the 2022 exchange rate, to avoid inflation from currency movements, the average salary in the economy in 2024 was 650 euros—still 40% lower than the regional average.

“KORÇA BOOM”