Large displacement of labor force from the Balkans to the EU

Young people from the countries of the Western Balkans, who cannot find a job, or are not satisfied with the working conditions, cannot expect the politicians to make their country with European standards at once, so they use the opportunity to emigrate to the West. This has caused the labor shortage to be felt in all the countries of the region, but also in Croatia, the newest EU member state. This is an unstoppable and natural process, however painful

During this summer, many tourists were surprised when they saw that restaurants in Albania were served by children. Sometimes it may have seemed like something random, that a child would help their parents, but many tourists testify that they were shocked to see so often 12 or 14-year-old children, removing their plates from the table. "We lost our youth. Germany is taking us away", said the owner of a restaurant. It was reasoned that they are not even finding workers for medicine this season. That's why they should "help the toads in their work!". Problems with finding workers during the tourist season are reported from both Montenegro and Croatia. In construction, there are vacancies in almost all European countries. The demand for these workers has never been greater. Therefore, most countries seek the solution through the import of labor force from poorer countries. And in the rich continent of Europe, the poorest region continues to be that of the Western Balkans. Many countries in the region are facing a large exodus of young people. This was somewhat stopped in the summer of 2020, due to restrictive measures as a result of the pandemic, but it has taken off again.

the trend is continuing with the wave going from southeast to northwest. Many young people from Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have gone to work in Croatia. It is rumored that in the last three years, the number of Kosovars who have received work permits in Croatia is close to 20. During this summer, newspapers in Croatia write that over 7000 workers from Serbia have found work on the Croatian coast. Croatia itself is facing a large exodus of its workforce. At a time when Croatia has the lowest unemployment rate in history, half a million people, more than 10 percent of the population, have left the country in the last ten years. This has caused Croatia to fall below 4 million with the number of inhabitants. And this in the Croatian opinion has been called a national tragedy.

Young people from the countries of the Western Balkans, who cannot find a job, or are not satisfied with the working conditions, cannot expect the politicians to make their country with European standards at once, so they use the opportunity to emigrate to the West. This has caused the labor shortage to be felt in all the countries of the region, but also in Croatia, the newest EU member state. This is an unstoppable and natural process, however painful.

It is natural, because since the existence of civilization, people have moved from one place to another, in search of a better life, in search of a job, a better job or a bigger salary. They do it today and all nations do it. Kosovars go from Kosovo to Croatia, Croats from Croatia to Ireland and Germany. The Irish used to leave en masse for the US. Germans, as well as Belgians and French in large numbers go to work in Switzerland and Luxembourg where the salaries are higher and taxes are lower.

The difference is that someone has it easier and someone more difficult. While there is no procedure for Croatians to go to work in any EU country, because they are part of a unique labor market, Kosovars must be provided with a set of documents.

The large influx of labor force, which is in most cases through legal channels, is a new wave of great population loss in the Western Balkans. The earlier waves were the mass exodus from Albania at the beginning of the end of the communist regime, then the wartime refugees from Kosovo, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Then it continued through illegal immigration. Today, there are more Albanians in Western European countries than in Kosovo, and perhaps even more than in Albania.

Thus, the countries of the region are facing a serious demographic phenomenon, just as the Eastern European countries that are now in the EU also faced. But those countries have reversed the trend and in some of them, like Poland, more people return than leave the country. In some countries, workers are imported from distant countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Bangladesh and India. But in general, the demographic data show that in all Eastern European countries the number of inhabitants has significantly decreased, while in the Western ones it has increased. This is due to net migration. Countries like Germany, Holland, Belgium; France and others have maintained the growth rate of the number of inhabitants even though they have had a decrease in the birth rate, due to the arrival of foreigners. This has not happened in the countries of the Western Balkans and in the countries of Eastern Europe. These countries, with the exception of Kosovo, have had an even greater decline in the birth rate at the same time as a large departure of citizens towards the West.

This phenomenon, however painful, also has some positive effects. Millions of young people have found a job and solved a life problem. In the meantime, their remittances have kept families alive in the countries they left and served as an injection for the economies of these countries. They should not be judged and the countries they leave from should not always be blamed, because this phenomenon depends on many elements and circumstances. The vast majority would prefer if they could build their future in their own country. But they don't have much time to wait, so they take the opportunity to leave.