The fishing sector in Albania is an industry that has been suffering from a lack of manpower for years.

For this reason, more than 300 foreign citizens, mainly from Egypt, were employed, thus replacing Albanian citizens with foreigners.

“I am from Egypt and I have been working in the fishing sector in Durrës for a year. There are many Egyptian colleagues in Vlora and Shëngjin. I also rented an apartment near the city center,” said Egyptian fisherman Muhametin Muhme.

As everywhere, the Albanian labor market also meets the needs of foreigners, who offer their support and work skills, far away from the family.

Such is the case of Muhametin Muhme, an Egyptian citizen employed in the fishing sector in Durrës.

He, along with many of his compatriots, have been working for years in the coastal city, as the job market offers better payment than in their country.

“We are about 300 people from Egypt and we are satisfied with the work here. The payment, the conditions, everything is very good”, said Muhme.

Klodian Kapiti, representative of the sector, says that out of 600 employees, nearly 320 are Egyptians and they are seen as the only solution to fill the vacuum created by the lack of local workforce.

“The most problematic part is the labor side, which in most cases has been solved with foreign fishermen, mainly Egyptian”, said Klodjan Kapiti, member of the Fishing Union.

“In fishing today, you don’t have welders, carpenters, electricians. 2 welders move around the whole fishery, you have to book him to come and do a weld for you”, Kapiti added.

“There was an avoidance, there was no continuation of tradition, because fishing does not get the basics in school, but it is transmitted from generation to generation”, he said further.

These ongoing challenges are bringing risks to many entities in this sector, leading some to bankruptcy.

“We always need strong state support by simplifying those unnecessary bureaucracies. A mountain of papers to apply for a subsidy. The procedure is a horror, it’s better to get a building permit than a letter for the help you deserve”, said Kapiti.

In addition to the fishing sector, many other industries are finding solutions in foreign workers.