Kosovo ranks last in the region in terms of average salary

Citizens of Serbia have the highest salary in the region, 1,112 euros, followed by Montenegro with 1,024 euros, Bosnia and Herzegovina with 1,023 euros, North Macedonia with 975 euros, while Kosovo records the lowest gross salary, only 521 euros, Reporteri wrote.

The increase in the average salary at the end of 2023 did not improve the position of Albania in relation to the region. With 723 euros, Albania is in the penultimate position.

"The champion country that should be taken from and the model related to the productivity of the administration are Serbia and North Macedonia, which compete with services even though they do not have the level of digitization of public services that Albania has," says Albanian economist Eduard Ghokutaj.

Wages in Albania compared to Serbia are 53 percent lower.

"But with the government's program to increase the average salary to 900 euros in mid-2024, we will be only 23 percent away from first place. It seems to me that this is an approximation based on a political decision, and not a decision that comes from a better work of the administration", he said.

Experts criticize the salary increase without a special program, while the increase to 900 euros is considered a pre-election trick before the 2025 elections.