No workforce/ The market is being “taken over” by Filipinos and Indians, work permits for foreigners rise 43%

The shortage of domestic labor is increasingly pushing Albanian businesses to look for staff abroad. In recent years, the presence of foreign workers, especially from Asian countries, has risen significantly in sectors such as services (bars and restaurants), industry, and agriculture.

From waiters and maintenance workers to engineers and caregivers for children and the elderly, foreigners are becoming an increasingly visible part of Albania’s labor market.

According to data from the National Agency for Employment and Skills (AKPA), a total of 18,156 employment requests for foreign nationals were approved online for 2025.

Compared with the previous year, their number increased by 43.4%. AKPA said that 14,000 work permits for foreign nationals were issued for the first time in 2025, indicating the high influx of foreigners coming to work in the country.

For 2025, the biggest increase in requests was for employees from the Philippines and India.

18% of the employment requests approved online by AKPA were from the Philippines. Employment from India also accounted for 18% of the total approved online requests.

Approved work permit requests for citizens from Egypt accounted for 15% of the total, while Turkey made up 9%, Kosovo 4%, and Italy 3%.

In 2025, 3,251 work permits were issued for Indian nationals, nearly twice as many as a year earlier, and 3,279 permits for citizens from the Philippines.

Foreign nationals seeking employment in Albania, under the law “On Foreigners,” must obtain a Single Permit, which includes approval for employment + visa issuance + residence permit.

AKPA only approves employment permits online, while visa issuance and residence permits are approved by the relevant institutions.

Therefore, the issuance of a Single Permit to foreigners (residence in Albania for employment purposes) is finalized by the Border and Migration Directorate of the State Police.

Citizens from Kosovo and Italy follow simplified employment procedures.

In 2025, according to State Police data, the number of citizens from Kosovo equipped with residence permits in the country reached 6,076 residents, accounting for about 22% of the total. Compared with 2024, their number increased by 32%.

Unlike other foreign nationals, following the agreement signed between the governments of Albania and Kosovo in 2022, citizens of Kosovo can obtain a 5-year biometric Residence Permit, which also serves as a Work Permit.

The document is obtained through a simplified online procedure and eliminates the need for separate applications or frequent work permit renewals.

For this reason, part of the employment of citizens from Kosovo no longer goes through the same work permit approval procedure by AKPA as citizens of third countries, also affecting the decline in the number of requests recorded by the agency.

Likewise, most citizens from Kosovo and Italy operate their own businesses in the country, and for this reason they do not need to apply for employment permits online.

After Kosovo, the highest number of foreign nationals equipped with residence permits in 2025 was from Italy, with 3,776 people accounting for 14% of the total number of foreigners. Compared with 2024, their number increased by 75%.

Italians, as EU citizens, also do not need employment approval from AKPA. The employer or the individual only makes an employment declaration, and the law recognizes their right to employment under the same conditions as Albanian citizens, except for jobs that explicitly require Albanian citizenship.

According to the legislation “On Foreigners,” after 5 years of lawful and continuous residence, a foreigner may meet the conditions for permanent residence; the document for this permit is replaced every 10 years through an automatic procedure. Long-term resident status is not lost simply because the 10-year card expires.

So, in practice, an Italian citizen does not apply every year for an employment request, unlike citizens of countries subject to labor market controls. But they may need to renew their residence permit according to the term of the contract, until they obtain permanent residence. / Monitor