Kosovo and Albania pay their workers less than in any other country in Europe, as far as the minimum wage, which they are obliged to pay by law.
According to the data of the European Statistics Office, at the beginning of 2020, the minimum gross salary in Albania was 213 euros. In Albania, according to INSTAT, there are over 320 people, or almost a third of the employed, who pay insurance with a minimum salary of 26 lek [210 euros].
Although the minimum wage in the country has increased several times, it still remains the lowest in Europe, with the exception of Kosovo. Its low level is one of the reasons declared as the reason for the high tendency for emigration.
The Eurostat data are not for Kosovo, but according to official data, the minimum wage in Kosovo is currently 130 euros for workers under 35 years old and 170 euros for those over 35 years old. And last year, the request was for this salary to be 250 euros, but it was not achieved. The minimum wage in Kosovo has remained the same since 2011, consumer prices have increased.
In North Macedonia, the gross minimum wage is 282 euros, in Montenegro it is 331 euros, while the highest minimum wage in the region is in Serbia with 343 euros.
In general, the minimum wages in the region are much lower compared to the countries of the European Union.
As of 1 January 2020, 21 of the 27 EU member states have national minimum wages: only Denmark, Italy, Cyprus, Austria, Finland and Sweden do not have a minimum wage.
Eurostat says monthly minimum wages are generally below €600 in the east and above €1,500 in the north-west of the EU.
The 21 EU member states that have national minimum wages can be divided into three main groups.
In January 2020, Bulgaria had the lowest gross salary at 312 euros in the entire EU. Nine member states, located mainly in the east of the EU, followed with minimum wages between 400 euros and around 600 euros per month: Latvia with 430 euros, Romania with 466 euros, Hungary with 487 euros, Croatia with 546 euros, the Czech Republic with 575 euros , Slovakia with 580 euros, Estonia with 584 euros, Lithuania with 607 euros and Poland with 611 euros.
In five other member states, located mainly in the south of the EU, minimum wages ranged between 700 euros and just over 1,000 euros per month: Portugal with 741 euros, Greece with 758 euros, Malta with 777 euros, Slovenia with 941 euros and Spain with 1,050 euros.
In seven remaining Member States, all located in the west and north of the EU, minimum wages were above 1,500 euros per month: France at 1,539 euros, Germany at 1,584 euros, Belgium at 1,594 euros, the Netherlands at 1,636 euros, Ireland with 1,656 euros and Luxembourg with 2,142 euros.
By comparison, the federal minimum wage in the United States was 1,119 euros per month in January 2020. /Monitor/
