The 13th salary for the public sector is considered discrimination for the private sector

The Kosovo government has decided to allocate a 13th salary to public sector workers, a measure that affects around 85 employees and is worth approximately 75 million euros. This decision is being considered discriminatory by representatives of the private sector, who argue that the support measures are only favoring state administration employees.

The Government's decision to distribute the 13th salary to around 85 public sector employees will cost the state budget approximately 75 million euros.

In addition to the budgetary cost, this decision is being seen as discriminatory against private sector workers.

Blendi Hasaj, director of the GAP Institute, says that a more adequate intervention would be to implement such a measure for all employees in the economy with lower wages.

According to him, recent studies in Kosovo show that workers in the public sector are paid about 31 percent more per hour than those in the private sector.

"There has been ongoing criticism that our public administration is overloaded with employees, a problem that has not been addressed at all by the Kurti Government. Therefore, the problem of inflation in recent months appears to affect private sector employees much more. A much more adequate intervention than this, since the government has already decided to implement such a measure, would be to help all employees in the economy with lower salaries. This includes employees in the private and public sectors," Hasaj said.

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The president of the Independent Private Sector Union of Kosovo (SPSPK), Jusuf Azemi, also says that private sector workers should be included in this decision, as they fill the state coffers.

"We are the workers who produce, while public sector workers are the ones who spend. And let's not be ironic: we enjoy the 13th salary for these workers, but we have extremely great pressure from private sector workers: 'why do they get it and we don't?', that is, what distinguishes us from public sector workers?", said Azemi.

PDK MP Mërgim Lushtaku called this decision discriminatory.

"Another injustice lies in the fact that those who worked last year in the public sector, but no longer continue to work, are excluded from this salary, although it is given for work done during the previous year. Do you think this is a discriminatory policy towards the private sector and those who no longer work?" he said.

And the Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, at the Government meeting on Monday, where he announced that on March 31st the 13th salary for public sector employees will be executed, also showed the method of its implementation.

"We have encountered cases where there are situations where they have not completed all 12 months, we have agreed with the Treasury that for these people who have not completed the full 12 months, a partial portion will be given. For as many months as they have been engaged in these last 12 months, a portion of the thirteenth salary will be given proportionally. The same applies to those who work part-time and not full-time," said Murati.

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And at the beginning of the Government meeting, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that they are preparing an anti-inflation package, which will also help private sector workers.

The 13th salary for the public sector was promised by Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the campaign for the December 28, 2025 elections and was included in the 2026 budget.