Today GAP Institute published the report “Employment of Kosovars in Germany and Kosovo: sectors and salaries based on purchasing power”. This report analyzes the number of employees and employment growth trends in the main sectors where Kosovars are employed in Germany and in Kosovo. Moreover, the report examines differences in salaries between these sectors in both countries, adjusted for the cost of living.
Germany remains the primary emigration destination among Kosovo citizens. Recently, the German government approved several new legislative changes to facilitate employment-based migration, the number of citizens from Western Balkan countries eligible to obtain work permits in Germany has increased from 25 thousand to 50 thousand people per year. Due to high demand, the annual quota of applications for pre-approvals of work visas for Kosovo citizens for 2024 was filled within just two months. Additionally, an ‘opportunity card’ based on a points system, evaluated according to skills, has been introduced, allowing foreign nationals to stay in Germany for up to one year to seek employment. Similarly, the naturalization process has been simplified, reducing the waiting period from the previous eight years to three to five years.
Some of the main findings of the report show that, among the six Western Balkan countries and across seven sectors in Germany, Kosovo leads with the highest number of employees in the construction sector (32,238), manufacturing (17,774), trade (17,702), and hospitality and gastronomy (12,434).
Moreover, in recent years, the number of Kosovo citizens employed in the health sector in Germany has increased by about 16% per year. Consequently, the number of employees in Germany in this sector is 64% of the total number of employees in the same sector in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, in sectors such as construction, there have been greater fluctuations from year to year. However, during the period 2019-2023, the number of employees from Kosovo in this sector in Germany has increased by over nine thousand people; the number of employees in the construction sector in Germany is about 58% of the total number of employees in Kosovo in the same sector.
Similarly, an increase in the number of Kosovars employed in Germany has been observed in the sectors of education (+17%), information and communication technology (+16%), hospitality and gastronomy (+13%), and manufacturing (+11%). In Kosovo, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of employees in the construction sector (+25%); trade (+21%); information and communication (+14%), among others. Meanwhile, the number of employees in the health sector in Kosovo has remained almost the same throughout the years.
Findings indicate that the difference in average monthly net salaries between Germany and Kosovo, after adjusting for cost-of-living differences, are as follows: net salaries in Germany are higher by 1,406 euros in healthcare; 1,740 euros higher in the education; 1,248 euros higher in information and communication technology; 1,064 euros higher in construction; 1,306 euros higher in trade; 1,699 euros higher in manufacturing; and 926 euros higher in hospitality and gastronomy.
Click here to read the full report.