OLDER AGE GROUPS LESS EXPOSED TO UNEMPLOYMENT COMPARED TO THE YOUNG

 

The older age groups of the population are less exposed to the phenomenon of unemployment, compared to the younger ones. Detailed data on the labor market in the last quarter of 2020, reveal that the unemployment rate in the 55-64 age group was 7.8 percent, the lowest of all age groups. Unemployment in this category was at least 4 percentage points lower than the national average of 11.8 percent. Unemployment in our country is a feature of the young population, especially in 15-24 year olds. INSTAT noted that 28.5 percent of the youth labor force at this age was reported unemployed in the last quarter of 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic further exacerbated unemployment among youth groups, as at the end of last year increased by 0.9 percentage points. More moderate unemployment rates are observed in the age group 25 to 54 years, with 11 percent, a value lower than the national average. Unemployment due to the pandemic in this age group expanded with0.6% points.

POLL GIVES RULING PARTY A MAJORITY IN UPCOMING ELECTION

 

The fourth survey conducted by Euronews Albania in cooperation with the prestigious company MRB revealed the tendency of the vote if parliamentary polls were to be held this Sunday. These were the findings of the survey published tonight on Political Barometer hosted by journalist Ilva Tare shared in the studio with a panel of political experts. 43% – Socialist Party 35.4% – Democratic Party 5.2% – Socialist Movement for Integration 3.8% – Other parties. On the other hand, 3.6% of citizens said that they will not show up at the polls, while the percentage of the undecided is at 8.5%, hence, the figure retrieved from voter tendency does not include the undecided electorate. At the 2017 elections, the SP came out as the main force with 48.3% of the citizens’ vote, coming in second was the DP with 28.9%, SMI received 14.3% of the popular vote, and meanwhile, 3.7% of the votes went to smaller parties. Unlike the Socialist Movement for Integration, whose support has been almost cut in half compared to findings from the first survey, support for SP and DP grew in terms of voter tendency, respectively at 1.2% and 7.2%. 3.5 million Albanians, from whom 50.5% are men and 49.5% are women, are entitled to cast their vote in the parliamentary polls due on the 25 of April to elect their new parliament.

BASHA REVEALS PLAN TO CONFISCATE OFFICIALS' ASSETS: AMNESTY FOR LIGHTS, EU-CERTIFIED VACCINES

 

Two weeks before the parliamentary elections, the chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, told daily Panorama that if elected the first decision of his government will be the introduction of flat tax 9% for big businesses, 0.5% ceiling for the annual turnover for small businesses whose turnover is less than 134,000,000 ALL. Another decision will be to scrap the circulation tax and vowed to conclude the vaccination process sooner that is being done with vaccines certified by the European Union. He also talked about the process of seizing irregular assets owned by corrupt officials.