20 old-age pensioners have been added to the social scheme in Kosovo in just the last four years.
And with the increase in pensioners, the state needs to expand the budget for this category.
Thus, around 300 million euros are foreseen in this year’s budget, just for old-age pensions and compensations.
“The labor market is declining drastically and the growth of pensioners over the age of 65, that is, in the last 13 years alone, has increased by 48.8 percent and this must be analyzed because in a short time Kosovo could face a dizzying expenditure scheme,” says economist Shkumbin Misini.
Thus, it is assessed that the country should intervene and preserve the workforce, before it ends up as a country for social assistance.
“What is currently a concern in European countries is being carried over to Kosovo, where the social burden is burdening the budget so much that it is impossible to survive. I believe that this situation and this moment should be addressed institutionally so that this does not become an obstacle to economic development, but rather to increase productivity, and a modality of their support should be found,” says the former president of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, Safet Gërxhaliu.
In total, including all pension categories, the state has earmarked a full 577 million euros for next year./Tëve1