Albania, the human factor and sustainable development: a lesson from the present

Abstract

Albania as all Balkan countries in general, in the past 20 years faced with deep and continuous socio-economic change which resulted not simply in a totally newly shaped economy, but also in new and unexperienced paths of human resources developments. This referring to the qualitative, quantitative and diversification terms, brings the age of new professions and connections between the academic development and advancement and the adaption with the real necessities of the labor market. Adding to this complex and mobile situation the effect on their economy of the last financial crisis, the turbulence level is expected to be increased . Practitioners and researchers must understand connections and make up different scenarios which will face with a very unpredictable environment. Not surprisingly, Albania as some other southwestern European countries, due to the low level of integration into the international financial market, their mainly domestic market for goods and services produced by them, did not suffer the same consequences as other neighboring countries. But even the effect of downsizing their economies will affect Albanian economy too, because the payment balance and foreign trade balance as well as due to the widening of globalization in its domestic economy, which Albania cannot afford to avoid any longer. At the same time, the country must take in consideration the economic structure change and its adoption with the EU countries economic structure. These two main challenges can be afforded with substantial foreign investments and the most attractive resource has proved to be the human one. Sustainable development of human resources for a national sustainable development, requires making pro-active decision regarding their development and planning. The welfare of countries more and more is not being measured by the GDP pro capita, instead it is being used the term” life quality” which calls for decision making process aiming to increase and not simply exploit, which pro-actively develops qualitative human resources . This because a major factor for development is direct foreign investment. This drives Albania as well as other Balkan countries shift from naturally gifted with human resources due to the high nativity toward having attractive human resources in terms of quality and diversity related to actual and future trends of economy structuring and development. The paper deals with issues related to economic and human development by comparing two major factors in the case of Albania: the quality of human resources, role of foreign investments in the Albanian economic development and effects of human resources have on them and the careful planning of human resources development driven by actual and future trends of economic development. At the same time, the paper analyses the necessity to link the didactic offer of universities and high schools and market driving forces.