General characteristics of the labor market in Albania, 2016 Labour Force Survey main objective is to collect quantitative and qualitative information for estimating the labour market indicators for all individuals 15 years and above in Albania. The studied population is divided in three main categories: employed, unemployed and out of the labour force. Data presented in this publication are based on the estimates obtained by labour force surveys 2015 and 2016. Over the year 2016, according to Labour Force Survey estimates: • Labour force is 1,365 thousand persons. Males account for 56.6 % of the labour force and females 43.4 %. • Employment is 1,157 thousand persons, from which males account for 56.2 % and females 43.8 %. • There were 208 thousand unemployed, 59 % of them are males. • The official unemployment rate for the age-group 15-74 years old is 15.2 %. The unemployment rate is 1.5 percentage points higher for males than females. • From 2015 to 2016 employment has increased by 6.5 % and official unemployment rate (15-74 years old) has decreased by 1.9 percentage points. • 55.9 % of the population aged 15-641 years old is employed, 10.3 % is unemployed and 33.8 % is economically inactive (outside the labour force). • 61.9 % of male population aged 15-64 years old are employed, 12.2 % are unemployed and 25.9 % are outside the labour force. • 49.7 % of female population aged 15-64 years old are employed, 8.5 % are unemployed and 41.7 % are outside the labour force.