The latest official data from INSTAT show that within this age group in Albania, 38.5% of young people are actively unemployed, as they are looking for work and are ready to enter the labor market.

The remaining 1.6% stay outside the labor market as they are classified as discouraged, while 19.5% are engaged in family duties, raising children or caring for someone in the family.

A considerable share, 40.4%, falls into the “other” category, indicating a high level of informality or uncertainty in declaring their economic status.

Compared with the previous year, a slight improvement is observed in the category of discouraged people, with a decline of 0.4 percentage points.

However, this change remains limited and does not yet reflect a transformation in the integration of young people into the labor market.

The data show that men are more active in the labor market than women. Around 46.5% of male NEETs are actively looking for work and ready for employment, while among women this percentage falls to 31.9%.

Albania has a share of young people neither in work nor in school that is almost double the EU average and remains at high regional levels.

Kosovo has the highest NEET levels in the region, reaching around 30%, followed by Albania with around 20%. North Macedonia and Montenegro are in the 17% range, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia record lower levels, though still clearly above European standards.

It appears that, in terms of employment, only pensioners are benefiting from economic growth, as unemployment continues to remain high among young people.

Last year, the official unemployment rate was 8.4%, while this indicator for the 15-24 age group was 21.5%, almost three times higher than in the general population.

In contrast to young people, the number of employed people over the age of 65 has increased. INSTAT data show that from 119,862 in 2024, their number reached 130,274 in 2025.

Although these people are of retirement age, they are mainly self-employed in agriculture without contributions, and according to the local methodology they are considered employed even when they work on their small farm and produce only for self-consumption./ Monitor

The post INSTAT releases data: One-fifth of young people neither in work nor in school in 2025 appeared first on Albeu.com.

During her address, Acting President Haxhiu stressed that drug abuse and drug trafficking constitute some of the most serious threats to young people and to social security in the country.

“We must speak openly about drugs and their consequences, without prejudice and without hiding the danger. We must talk in schools, with parents, with teachers and with young people themselves, before the problem appears in the family as a crisis,” Acting President Haxhiu said.

She underlined that schools deserve special attention, especially after continued reports of the presence or sale of narcotic substances near them.

According to her, bringing this danger close to schoolyards turns prevention into an immediate obligation for the family, the school, institutions and the entire community. Acting President Haxhiu said this process begins with proper information, with psychologists and educators, with trained teachers, with engaged parents and with language that young people understand. She warned that if young people learn about drugs only from the street, social networks or from those who profit from them, then institutions will not be able to have sufficient influence.

Acting President Haxhiu also said that this issue requires broad social mobilization and clear responsibilities from every institution.

“That is why it is important that today at this roundtable, those who know the problem firsthand are together: public institutions, health professionals, the Kosovo Police and organizations such as Labyrinth, which for years has worked with people who have developed addiction and with their families, often serving as the first place where help is sought. On this occasion, I want to thank you for the great and long-standing work in this field,” Acting President Haxhiu stressed.

Speaking about addiction, she said that a person addicted to narcotic substances should not be seen as a criminal or trafficker, but as a person who needs treatment, support and rehabilitation in society.

“The criminal is the one who exploits their weakness, who supplies them, who pushes them deeper into addiction and who profits,” Acting President Haxhiu said.

She stressed that there should be an uncompromising approach toward traffickers, while people who need help should be shown the greatest care.

“The strength of a society is seen in its ability to prevent young people from being drawn into this vortex, to treat those who need help and to restore them to life with dignity,” Acting President Haxhiu said.

In conclusion, Acting President Haxhiu recalled that Kosovo already has the State Strategy Against Drugs 2024–2028 and that several actions have been undertaken, along with the establishment of important mechanisms. Nevertheless, according to her, this issue cannot be solved with a single document, but requires uninterrupted work in prevention, treatment and law enforcement. “This day is a call for more responsibility, more coordination and more action. Let us not wait for addiction to knock on the doors of our families before we react. Let us protect every young person from the trap of drugs, protect society from trafficking and protect the state from organized crime. Every life saved from addiction is a victory for the family, society and our state,” Acting President Haxhiu stressed.

The post Haxhiu calls for protecting young people from drugs and the state from organized crime appeared first on Albeu.com.