Young beneficiaries of the Employment Promotion Programs were today guests at a meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Minister of Economy and Innovation, Delina Ibrahimaj, in a discussion on the benefits of government employment programs. The meeting served as evidence that Albania offers opportunities for all young people who genuinely wish to work and build a professional career.

The Prime Minister supported his remarks with figures, stating that “over the past five years, 42,000 young women and men have been employed through employment offices and related services, of whom 7,500 individuals have benefited directly from the programs and are currently employed.”

Meanwhile, an average of 5,500 job vacancies across all categories and professional profiles are published every month on the portal puna.gov.al.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much for this opportunity,

I would like to share with you some information that is important both for those present here and for those following us, in order to give a clearer picture of where we stand as a government and what the current employment services landscape in this country looks like.

I would like to start with a fact that is not widely known. According to the OECD, a highly credible source of data and country assessments, Albania ranks first in the region for employment services. This is a very positive development, as it clearly shows that the work we have done over the years to build a comprehensive employment services system has yielded encouraging results.

There are currently seven employment promotion programs in operation, covering all categories, ranging from professional internships and on-the-job training to self-employment, as you heard here today, and social reintegration.

Another important fact, particularly for young people who are understandably sceptical, distrustful, or even indifferent toward these programs or discussions, is that in the last five years alone, 42,000 young women and men have been employed through our employment offices and services. This is not an insignificant number. Of these, 7,500 individuals have benefited directly from the programs and are currently employed.

Building on the structure that we have developed year after year, we have also introduced the Youth Guarantee, a successful European model that is now being implemented in Albania. The first 2,200 young women and men are already benefiting from the Youth Guarantee. Its objective is to support 60,000 young women and men nationwide, across all categories, during the course of this government’s mandate, which we have just begun.

Before coming here, I watched with great curiosity a video of one of the offices of a newly licensed digital bank in Albania, recently approved by the Bank of Albania. It was truly impressive to see how, within just a few days, these offices had been filled with young women and men. I was informed about the number of applications, which was remarkable. At this very moment, the bank has interviewed and plans to employ 100 young women and men immediately. Naturally, this is a very attractive job opportunity. It is a new-generation, innovative bank and, of course, offers well-paid positions.

Despite the significant progress we have made in terms of wages, even though starting in January, we will raise the minimum wage to 500 euros, and despite our plan to increase it to 700 euros, or more precisely 750 euros, within this mandate, we are fully aware that what is truly needed and truly convincing is the offer of very well-paid jobs.

This means higher-quality employment, which naturally stems from knowledge, specifically professional knowledge. Professional expertise ranging from engineering and information technology to culinary arts. Because this device that we all carry in our pockets like a personal spy can do wonders, but it will never cook. For that, you need a human being. And the more technology develops and robots begin to serve, the more the wages of skilled professionals will increase. The demand will grow for knowledgeable individuals who cook, who serve, and who perform jobs that until recently were looked down upon, such as plumbing or tailoring.

All of this is connected to professional knowledge, and I am very pleased that this year we have reached the highest level ever of enrollment in vocational education. We are still far from where we want to be. We have reached nearly 20 percent, but that is not enough.

For this reason, I want to commend the Director for the excellent work done at this agency, which through its portal puna.gov.al publishes an average of 5,500 job vacancies every month. This is for those who claim there are no jobs. Those who say there are no jobs are simply those who do not want to work. Because on the portal alone, there are, on average, 5,500 job vacancies every month, across all categories and professions.

Of course, it is not as simple as just opening the portal. As the young woman mentioned earlier, when you knock on doors, there are difficulties, expectations, and requirements. I am not minimising any of this. But I am saying that those who truly want to work and those who genuinely want to succeed in this country can do so. Sometimes they can achieve success here that would require many more years, far greater sacrifices, and far smaller chances elsewhere, particularly in today’s Europe. Europe is no longer what it once was. Youth unemployment challenges and young people’s refusal to take on an increasing number of jobs are now European-wide issues. This country, precisely because it is still developing and not as rigidly structured as more developed countries, offers greater opportunities for those who have more courage, more determination, and a greater willingness to take risks.

To avoid extending my remarks further, I would like to add that we are focused on start-ups and will increase our support even more. More than 200 start-ups have already been directly financed through our programs. However, we are still behind in this area, partly due to a lack of trust among many people in turning to these programs.

That is why I want to repeat what the young woman said earlier: “Don’t believe, but try.” It costs nothing not to believe, because believing may make you feel vulnerable. Personally, I approach things differently. I start from trust, not distrust, and then I apply. Seventy percent of those who have benefited from these programs are under the age of 29, and 37 percent of these start-ups are either majority-owned or led by women. This is double the European Union average and proves my theory that Albania will be saved by women. I am convinced of this. Albania will ultimately be saved only by women.

There is also another program, that of self-employment, which has produced very interesting results. We aim to further increase the number of young people who want to become self-employed. We are not talking only about start-ups, but about all kinds of initiatives. Young people who want to become self-employed and open small businesses should be at the center of this support. Because at the beginning, there is always a helping hand. It may be luck, a parent, or a friend. To these hands, we want to add the hand of the state.

Next year’s budget is substantial, and what matters for this discussion is that it represents the largest budget ever allocated to youth employment promotion. We have increased the funds dedicated to young people by 60 percent. That is why we are here today. We are not here for electoral campaigning, as the campaign is over. We are not here to place you in the background to make ourselves look good. We are here to use every opportunity to convey a clear message to all your peers and to you present here: refer to employment programs, apply to employment programs.

There is 60 percent more funding allocated exclusively for youth employment programs, but this also requires more applicants. It would be a scandal if, due to a lack of sufficient applications, we failed to spend all these funds, which we intend to triple over the next three-plus years.

That is all I had to say. Thank you very much for your attention. I hope something will stay in your minds. Hopefully, God willing, exactly so, with a bit of luck. We agree on this. And I repeat: this world belongs to the brave and to those who try, try, try, until they succeed.

Thank you very much.