Jobs for Albania's youth
Among Albania's youth, around one in three is out of work. Although the country's economy is growing, its young people are not being absorbed by the job market. The skills that many young Albanians have been trained in do not match business needs, and careers advice is few and far between. There is also limited access to decent jobs, particularly in the countryside. All of these factors are hampering development in the entire country.
Among Albania's youth, around one in three is out of work. Although the country's economy is growing, its young people are not being absorbed by the job market. The skills that many young Albanians have been trained in do not match business needs, and careers advice is few and far between. There is also limited access to decent jobs, particularly in the countryside. All of these factors are hampering development in the entire country.
This is where RisiAlbania comes in – an SDC employment project implemented by Helvetas and Partners Albania together with the Albanian ministry of economy. The project has been taking a systemic approach since 2013: instead of simply creating individual jobs, the entire labour market is being reinforced – from careers advice and continuing education and training to business development.
RisiAlbania focuses on three economic sectors that have particular potential for young people: agricultural processing, tourism and information technology. In agriculture, the project promotes growth-orientated business models – for medicinal plants and olive oil, for example. In tourism, it strengthens links between businesses, tour operators and communities. In the ICT sector, it makes use of Albania's advantages in outsourcing.
One of RisiAlbania's keys to success is careers advice. To this end, it has set up career centres across the country, co-initiated one of the first national online learning platforms and launched a radio programme called 'Ora e Punës - Work Hour' – targeting young jobseekers via Albania's second-largest radio station with tips on applying for jobs, interviews and information on the labour market.
The results after more than ten years are impressive, with around 19,000 young people having found employment thanks to RisiAlbania. In addition, 12,000 received further training and over 100,000 used the careers advice services. Companies supported by the project also generated EUR 3.9 million in net additional income. These figures show that Switzerland's systemic approach works.
The third and final phase of RisiAlbania came to a close in 2025 as planned, but not without leaving sustainable structures in place – the careers advice services, strengthened industry associations and improved training opportunities are now increasingly functioning independently. This ensures that the impact lasts beyond the end of the project – an example of responsible cooperation.
Further information:
Website en: RisiAlbania
Website SDC: Albania
Further information:
Website en: RisiAlbania
Website SDC: Albania
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Jobs for Albania's youth
