Results from the European Survey on Education and its Links to the Labor Market Unveil Working Conditions in Albania
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A recent European survey on education and its connections to the labor market conducted last year reveals significant insights into the working conditions of Albanian employees. The survey, which delves into various aspects of occupational settings, sheds light on the prevalence of heavy manual labor and challenging work environments, Monitor reports.
According to the survey findings, two in five Albanian workers engage in lifting or carrying heavy objects without the aid of machinery, a task commonly associated with physically demanding jobs. Additionally, nearly three in ten (29%) reported working in environments with extreme temperatures, chemicals, or hazardous materials. This aligns closely with the European Union (EU) average of 27% and is slightly lower than the Western Balkans 5 (WB5) average of 32%.
Remarkably, almost half (46%) of Albanian workers stated that they use their hands as the primary tool for grasping, manipulating, or assembling objects, excluding computer mice, keyboard typing, or handwriting. This figure surpasses the EU-27 average of 38% and is in line with the WB5 average of 51%.
The segment of employees involved in weightlifting in Albania exceeds the average values in the WB5 (37%) and EU27 (34%). Men are considerably more likely to be engaged in such manual tasks than women, with 47% of men compared to 27% of women.
Older workers are more likely to be involved in heavy lifting compared to their younger counterparts, with 48% of those aged 55-64 participating in weightlifting, compared to 28% of those aged 25-34.
Workers with lower and medium-level education are more exposed to weightlifting, with 54% and 46%, respectively, engaging in such activities. In contrast, only 15% of those with higher education reported lifting weights.
More than half of workers in manual and elementary professions (53% and 50%, respectively) reported lifting weights, compared to 30% in semi-skilled professions and 18% in skilled professions.
The act of lifting objects is more common among respondents working in agriculture or industry (50%), whereas only 36% of those working in services and 22% in the public sector, education, or health reported lifting objects during working hours.
Respondents were also asked if, as part of their main job, they had used or worked with computerized machinery in the past month. Approximately one in five (21%) Albanians reported using computerized machinery, compared to nearly four in ten (39%) in the EU and three in ten (28%) in the WB5.