Difficulties in finding employees are becoming increasingly serious in Albania, severely affecting the elderly care sector as well. The pronounced staff shortage is forcing private nursing home managers to seek solutions beyond national borders.

In addition to the lack of doctors specialized in geriatrics, residential centers are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit Albanian caregivers.

The phenomenon of emigration and the departure of the workforce is pushing administrators to seriously consider hiring foreign nationals, with the Philippines and Tunisia seen as potential labor pools.

Hysni Kuka, who runs a nursing home in Tirana, confirmed to Monitor that he is considering the possibility of hiring two citizens from the Philippines.

According to him, the main reason is the inability to find local workers, a problem closely linked to the wave of emigration.

Another elderly care institution in the Sauk area is in the process of evaluating the hiring of two Tunisian nationals with nursing training.

The center’s managers, contacted by Monitor, said these workers have had previous experience in Albania, specifically in the services industry during the tourist months.

However, the process of recruiting them for geriatric care comes with a series of uncertainties. The main challenges remain the level of professional qualification and the language barrier, since these workers do not know Albanian.

“Our activity is being seriously undermined by the lack of personnel. We are going through an extremely difficult period in recruitment. The main culprit is emigration, as in every other field.

For this reason, we are looking at hiring foreigners as an alternative. But we are not too optimistic about this path either. The lack of language knowledge and the bureaucratic procedures for their employment are major problems, not to mention the lack of stability, because these workers can leave without warning,” the center’s managers explained.

Market data show that net monthly wages for caregivers in nursing homes range from about 55,000 to 70,000 lek for an eight-hour workday.

On the other hand, fees for staying in a private elderly home vary, according to administrators, from 70,000 to 120,000 lek per month, depending directly on the resident’s health condition.

In cases where a family decides to hire a caregiver for an elderly person in its own home, the cost ranges from 50,000 to 80,000 lek per month for a daily engagement of 6 hours.

Demand for labor from third countries is not limited only to elderly care businesses. Albanian families are also increasingly turning to this solution.

Citizens from the Philippines are increasingly finding employment as nannies for children, assistants for the elderly, and house cleaning workers.

Statistics from the Electronic Register for Foreigners, obtained for “Monitor” by the State Police, show that by June 2026, the number of foreigners with jobs in Albania reached 22,600 people, a significant increase from 18,100 in December 2025.

This trend of employing foreigners has gained momentum in recent years. In 2025 alone, the numbers rose by 43.4% compared with the previous year.

Around 90% of these citizens, or approximately 20,300 individuals, hold a unique permit as employees during 2026. Meanwhile, about 10 percent, or 2,361 citizens, are registered as self-employed.

Among foreign employees, the presence of citizens from the Philippines, India, and Egypt dominates. For these three nationalities, a total of 10,258 unique permits have been issued, accounting for almost half of the total.

Filipinos top the ranking. By June 2026, 3,552 Filipinos held a work permit in Albania, accounting for around 16% of the total number of foreign workers.

They are followed by Indians with 3,423 employed people, while 3,283 workers from Egypt have been registered.

Further down the list, Turkey has 1,503 permits and Italy 1,306. Other countries include the United States with 619 unique permits, Indonesia with 229, and China with 212.

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