Foreign workers fill gaps in Albania's tourist sector

As Albania sees a surge in visitors, foreign workers, mainly from the Philippines, are filling staff shortages.

Transcript

00:00These housekeepers from the Philippines have been working in this four-star hotel in the Albanian capital Tirana since January.

00:07They can hardly speak a word of Albanian, so Google Translate is absolutely indispensable.

00:18Tourism in Albania has really taken off in the last five years.

00:22While this is certainly a welcome development, it comes with a number of challenges.

00:26Due to a shortage of local staff, businesses have started hiring foreign workers,

00:30which means they have to spend more on accommodation and food for staff.

00:33But there are benefits.

00:57Ivan Resolta is also from the Philippines. He is a cook.

01:01Before coming here, he worked in Kuwait.

01:04He's content in Albania and plans to stay here for at least five years.

01:10The salary is high compared to when I was working in the Middle East.

01:15Also, it's high in the Philippines, so the gap of the salary is still much higher.

01:20It's okay here, the living is good.

01:23According to Albania's Institute of Statistics, 8.2 million tourists visited the country between January and August.

01:30Albania has a population of 2.7 million.

01:33Just under 11,000 foreigners were working in the country at the end of 2023.

01:38But some experts say that hiring abroad is not the most sustainable solution.

01:43It's not easy to get a job in a hotel.

01:51Or a flat in a hotel.

01:55This can affect the quality of the workers,

01:59whether they come from Asia or other countries, from Africa or from everywhere.

02:06But the main thing for an industry is to be qualified.

02:11Back at the hotel, Rezata Bregu considers the hiring of foreign staff a temporary solution

02:17because of the difficulties involved in planning staff availability.

02:21There is no guarantee that you will not be fired.

02:24Unless you have a contract, unless you have some obligations that the agency has taken care of.

02:31But for the moment, Albania relies on foreign staff to keep the country's booming tourism sector running smoothly.