Overview of Kosovo

Population:  1.80 Million in 2024

GDP: $ 7.80 Billion (expected to grow by 5.2% in 2024)

Economic Overview

 Since the end of the war in 1999, the nation has experienced steady and solid economic growth. The average GDP growth of Kosovo was 3.5% in the period 2009-2019. The economy of Kosovo has also been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced negative GDP growth of -6% in 2020. According to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF's) forecast in April 2021, the GDP growth of the nation is expected to resume at 4.5% in 2021 and 5.5% in 2022, considering the post-pandemic global economic recovery.

Market Size

There is a clear shortage of structured job opportunities in Kosovo. The unemployment rate is very high. More than 25% of the working-age population is unemployed, which eventually increases the number of people living below the poverty line. Unemployment levels are significantly higher in first-time job seekers and women. The government aims to create job opportunities and implement skill training programs to reduce the unemployment rate. The most demanded skills in Kosovo are foreign language skills, socioemotional skills, and computer skills.

A brief glimpse of industries

• To fight back the pandemic effect on the economy, the government has implemented the Economic Recovery Programme immediately after the pandemic outbreak. The government has allocated EUR 365 million of funds to support businesses, create jobs, and stimulate aggregate demand.
• Multiple labor-related programs and projects are active in Kosovo to bridge the skill gap, mainly education and training projects and are financed by private sectors. 
• The main industries where the Kosovo government invests more are energy, textile, tourism, metallurgy, leather, machinery, appliances, foodstuffs & beverages, etc.
• The service sector is the significant one in Kosovo — the steady growth contributes about 60% of the annual GDP. The main services produced in the country are in the financial sector, telecommunication, transport, and technology.
• The average fixed broadband internet speed in Kosovo is 45.17 Mbps. The average download speed is 53.25 Mbps per second, and the upload speed is 21.82 Mbps.

Cost of living in Kosovo

Kosovo is most likely the cheapest country in Europe. Only the cost of accommodation is just like the rest of Europe. Aside from that, everything else is quite affordable. So, having a comfortable life with modern facilities in Kosovo is affordable. Big cities are comparatively more expensive than towns or rural areas. With about $ 400 estimated monthly expenses and about $ 450 in monthly house rent, a single person can live comfortably below $ 1,000 a month. The following table shows the average living cost of the nation.

A Breakdown of the Average Living Cost in Kosovo

Salary structure for various roles in Kosovo

The following table represents the average annual salary of different sectors in Kosovo

Cost of renting

The cost of accommodation in Kosovo may vary greatly depending on the location, type of apartment, size, and other facilities. Being the capital of the nation, Prishtina is comparatively expensive and shows maximum house rent. The accommodation cost is the vital aspect to increase your living expenses in the country.

Your cost of living in Kosovo depends on your location

The top sectors that are expected to hire in Kosovo in 2024

To address the impact of the pandemic, the government has taken multiple temporary policies. As the global market has started to improve, the service sector regains its vitality—expanding business and hiring people to meet the industry’s new requirements.

Top Skills in Kosovo

Unemployment is a huge problem in Kosovo—moreover, the pandemic has made the situation worse. After defeating the initial effect of the pandemic, organizations have started recruiting to meet their business needs. There are several job opportunities for fresher as well as experienced professionals with language proficiency and technical skills.

Significant industries hiring in Kosovo are:

• IT services
• Telecommunication Services
• Accounting
• Banking and credit unions
• Computer hardware and software
• Social Services
• Food Industry
• Healthcare

Top Skills City-wise Occupation-wise

Pristina is the capital of the nation and largest city of Kosovo, offering multiple job opportunities to people. The service sector is the most enveloped in this city and employs more than 75% of the workforce of Pristina. Numerous manufacturing industries are also available, including food processing, consumer product manufacturing, etc., which accommodated more than 20% of the working population in the city. Tourism and Hotel business are two flourishing industries in Pristina offering multiple job options to job seekers.

Prizren, the historical capital of Kosovo, offers maximum job opportunities in the retail industry, service-related businesses, and banking industry. Other sectors offering employment options in Prizren are:

• Transportation equipment manufacturing 
• Electrical and electronic manufacturing
• Building and construction
• staffing and outsourcing

Gjilan is the city offering job options in investment banking, asset management, construction, computer hardware and software, IT services, and so on.

Pec is one of the famous cities of Kosovo and rapidly developing significant tourist infrastructure. The city also offers jobs related to IT and telecommunication, financial services, tourism and restaurant, consumer product manufacturing, etc.

Hiring Cost

Hiring in a country needs thorough research about the cost of living, availability of skilled freshers or professionals, etc., to predict the appropriate cost-per-hire. Cost-per-hire is crucial for an employment program, and it depends on multiple factors, including the overall recruitment expenditure. For proper estimation of hiring costs, you have to consider the cost of the screening process, interview processes, onboarding costs, training costs, and so on.

Employment Laws in Kosovo

In Kosovo, the employment contracts must have to be in writing and signed by parties, the employee and the employer.

An employment contract must contain some mandatory terms and conditions in Kosovo. Such as 

1. details of the employer and the employee
2. Job description
3. Place of work 
4. Working hours
5. Commencement date and end date of employment
6. Salary and other allowances or incomes
7. Details of annual leave

The main sources of employment law in the Republic of Kosovo are:

1. Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo
2. Law on Strikes
3. Law on Labour 
4. Law on Foreigners 
5. Law on Labour Inspectorate 
6. Law on Social Economic Council 
7. Law on Safety and Health at Work 
8. Law on Protection of Whistleblowers 
9. Law on the Protection of Breastfeeding 
10. Law on the Protection from Discrimination 
11. Law for Organising Trade Unions in Kosovo

Apart from the above-mentioned laws, there are other sources of employment law that include some other norms —regulations and administrative instructions.

How Can Skuad Help You In Hiring in Kosovo?

Hiring in Kosovo is a multi-faceted task requiring a thorough knowledge of the employment laws, hiring costs, living costs city-wise, availability of skilled persons, and so on. Skuad can be a one-stop solution handling every minute aspect of recruitment. Skuad gives you the time and freedom to focus on your project and expansion plans without any hiring stresses. To know more, connect Skuad today.