High Ranking State Officials’ Salary from April 2023, Prime Minister’s Salary against Other Budgetary Categories ratio

The Parliament of the Republic of Albania approved on 25.05.2023, the law that regulates the salaries of high ranking state officials, namely “On some changes in law no. 9584, dated 17.07.2006, “On Salaries, Remuneration and Structure of Constitutional Independent Institutions  and other independent Institutions, created by law”, as amended.

The law was deposited in the Assembly on April 7, 2023, but on May 23, 2023, when it was the Economy and Finance Committee’s turn to review it, there were some changes. In the initial draft law deposited, it was not foreseen the increase in the salaries of high government officials, that is, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Assembly and the deputy ministers. Equally, no increase was foreseen regarding the salaries of the Members of the Parliament. However, with a majority of votes, the Economy and Finance Commission decided that the salaries of said officials should be increased and at a percentage level surpassing that of the President at that. Also, compared to the initial draft law, the salaries of the members of the Competition Commission, ERE (Regulatory Body of the Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Sector), the Authority on Information regarding Documents of the former State Security, AKEP (Electronic and Postal Communications Authority), as well as deputy to the chairman of the AMA (Audiovisual Media Authority) were added as subject to salary raise.

The salary of the President of the Republic, which is defined in the State Budget law, increases from ALL 257,000 to ALL 425,000, a raise that amounts to 65.4% of its original figure.

The Prime Minister and Speaker of the Assembly’s wages are raised to ALL 393,125, from ALL 228,730, an increase of 71.9%.

The salaries of the Ministers of Cabinet are subject to 82.4% increase, respectively from ALL 174,760 to ALL 318,750.

But it is the Members of the Parliaments that will benefit the most from the salary raise, namely 98%, with salaries almost doubling from ALL 156,770 to ALL 310,250.

Other high ranking officials are cited as subjects to the amended law,  with the Inspector General of the High Inspectorate of Declaration and Control of Assets and Conflict of Interest noted as one of the positions benefiting majorly from the raise, respectively by 70.2%, going from earning ALL 174,760 to ALL 297,500.

Source: Parliament of Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The salaries of senior officials increased by more than 50%, but the same did not happen to other budgetary employees.

The majority of them experienced a rather symbolic salary raise, at the level of inflation or even below in some cases, as concluded in an analysis regarding salaries, made by Open Data Albania, which can be consulted in the following link.

With the new law in force, the Prime Minister’s salary reaches a level that is 25.4 times higher than the average pension in 2022. Likewise, a nine-year secondary school teacher, with a master’s degree, has a gross salary 6 times lower than the Prime Minister’s. A nurse’s salary, on the other hand, is 5.8 times lower than the new salary of the Prime Minister of the Republic.

In other words, an Albanian pensioner receiving the average pension benefits of only 3.9% of the gross salary of the country’s Prime Minister.

Much in the same way, a specialist doctor who enjoyed a salary raise of ALL 50,000 in April, is receiving only 38.3% of the head of the government’s salary or a 2.6 times smaller amount.

Source: Parliament of Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: Parliament of Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

A deepening of inequality is clearly evident when analyzing the salary ratio before and after the respective raise.

Before, a pensioner enjoyed a pension that was 14.8 times lower then amount earned by the Prime Minister’s; however, after the recent raise in the latter’s salary, it emerges that pensioners benefit of an amount that is 25.4 times lower.

A police inspector’s salary before April 2023 was about 4 times lower than that of the head of government, and after, it is 6.4 times lower.

The same happens with all salaries of budgetary employees. The ratio of their salaries weighted against that of the Prime Minister’s has increased after April 2023, all the while, in absolute terms, the salary of both parties has been subject to raise.

Source: Parliament of Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Source: Parliament of Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The analysis shows that the salary of high ranked state officials has increased by over 50% and almost 100% in some cases, all the while, for simple budget employees, the increase is insignificant, standing at indexation level and in some cases, even below.

Download excel: High Ranking State Officials’ Salary from April 2023, Prime Minister’s Salary against Other Budgetary Categories ratio
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Contributed by: Ilir Brasha
Translated by: Rezarta Cushaj