TIRANA, September 10
Albania might not be among the highest paying countries for information and technology careers, yet ICT jobs are on the list of the highest-paid positions. The recent report on wage data in Q2 2020 issued by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) shows that only the financial and insurance sector pays more than the ICT industry, which is relatively new and still emerging.
Based on INSTAT data, the average monthly gross wage in April-June was Lek 54,149 or 2.9 percent higher than the same period in 2019.
The average monthly gross wage in the finance sector was Lek 117,941 or 2.18 times the national median. Meanwhile, the average monthly gross wage in the finance sector was Lek 84,589 (about €680).
On the other hand, agriculture was the sector with the lowest average monthly gross wage, Lek 33, 856.
Q2 2020 coincides with the lockdown measures. Despite, the huge impact on the Albanian economy and labor market, the ICT sector, and agriculture were among the sectors that didn’t stop their activities. It was easier for the ICT sector to handle the transition from in-office to remote work.
The ICT sector in Albania has a huge potential and it is developing much faster compared to a number of traditional core sectors of the economy. If promoted and supported, the sector would generate multiple high-paying jobs, especially among skilled young professionals. Currently, a considerable number of young talented professionals choose countries like Germany, the second destination in Europe for tech talents. Many others stay in Albania and work remotely for international companies.
Currently, Albania tries to attract foreign investments in the ICT sector through tax incentives. All the juridical persons that operate a tech company that falls under one of the eight categories listed below will be subject to a 5 percent income tax from 15 percent.
However, there is still a big mismatch between career orientation in the education systems and labor market needs for skills. Albanian students continue to choose careers such as law, economics, and social sciences, etc. A higher talent pool of tech specialists would make the Albanian ICT sector more attractive to foreign investors while promoting innovation and a tech ecosystem.
Based on recent trends, it would be no surprise that the ICT sector would soon offer the highest paying jobs in Albania.
According to Glassdoor, the highest paying jobs in tech in 2019 starting at an average annual salary of $131,300 included:
Information security engineer
DevOps engineer – $137,400
Enterprise architect – $144,400
Technical program manager – $145,000
Software architect – $145,400
Applications architect – $149,000
Infrastructure architect – $153,000
Software development manager – $153,300
Data warehouse architect – $144,800
Software engineering manager – $163,500
Read also: ICT, a Potential Investment Sector in Albania
ICT and Accommodation, Top Performing Services in Q3
Source: INSTAT
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