Although the potential for creating a “common labour market” in the Western Balkan countries is significant, in practice, there is a lack of actual labour migration. The majority of migration from these countries tends to be directed towards the European Union. While Albanian citizens primarily emigrate to Italy, citizens of North Macedonia also migrate to Greece, and the remaining Western Balkan countries generally experience their residents moving to Germany, Switzerland, or Austria.
However, the results of the consultative process indicate that there is considerable potential to increase worker mobility, particularly in the domain of seasonal labour within the Western Balkans. In this regard, although there are no official statistics, it is observed that Albanians are heading towards Montenegro and North Macedonia, North Macedonians towards Serbia, while the workforce from Serbia tends to move to Montenegro during the tourist season. Serbia has digitalised and streamlined its procedures for hiring workers, especially seasonal workers, in recent years, but this cannot be said for other Western Balkan countries.
Furthermore, field experiences suggest that there is a need to build better infrastructure, especially in border areas, to facilitate easier labour mobility. Analysis shows that only Serbia is strategically addressing economic migration; however, it does not engage with labour migration at the level of local governments where local markets could benefit from the potential of migrant workers.
