Migrant workers are filling labour shortages across construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and services in Kosovo. But for some, employment promises have led to exploitative working conditions, withheld wages, restricted movement and, in some cases, sexual exploitation and suspected human trafficking.
Kosovo Construction companies, manufacturers and service providers have recruited workers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey, and other countries to compensate for domestic labour shortages.
Rrahman Sylejmani, a former Kosovo Police colonel who led several operations targeting trafficking and labour exploitation, told Kallxo.com that investigators encountered migrant workers living in inhumane conditions.
“We found dozens, perhaps even hundreds, sleeping inside warehouses where they worked. They had improvised beds, and the most basic living standards were not met. It posed a serious risk to their health,” he said.
According to Sylejmani, many workers had no separation between their workplace and their personal lives.
“They didn’t just work there—they slept there too.”
Following police interventions, some workers sought international protection, while others left Kosovo.
As Kosovo’s labour market struggles with a shortage of workers, businesses have turned to cheap foreign labour from Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere. While many migrants are legally employed, investigators and labour inspectors say a number of workers have ended up in situations that raise serious concerns about labour exploitation and trafficking.
As of July, the minimum wage in Kosovo is 500 euros gross per month, while the average monthly gross wage is 713 euros.
According to the latest annual results of the Labour Force Survey published by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, KAS, the labour market in 2024 was characterised by an activity rate of 43.2%, an employment rate of 38.6%, and an unemployment rate of 10.8%.
The data from KAS shows that approximately 43% of the working-age population participates in the labour force, while the remaining 57% is economically inactive.
Data from KAS also show that approximately 156,000 residents emigrated between 2018 and 2022, while an estimated 37,451 people left the country in 2024.
These findings were explored in the Kallxo.com documentary ‘Modern Slavery’, examining how migrant workers have become vulnerable to abuse and how state institutions are responding.
From job offers to sexual exploitation
Kosovo police also found cases involving unpaid wages, physical abuse, and sexual exploitation.
“We identified cases where people were forced to work without receiving any wages at all. We also uncovered cases of sexual abuse and physical mistreatment,” Sylejmani said, adding that many such cases amount to what he describes as ‘modern slavery’.
“I consider this a form of modern slavery. Slavery today is no longer the historical form we know—it appears in different ways.”
In one of the cases reviewed by Kallxo.com, the prosecution alleged that women from Latin America were brought to Prishtina after being promised employment. Instead, they were forced into prostitution and compelled to provide sexual services for money.
Authorities say similar cases have been uncovered in massage parlours and nightclubs employing women from Latin America, Moldova, Albania and other countries. Many were found without valid work documentation, while police investigations identified indicators of prostitution and human trafficking.
Police operations conducted during 2025 found dozens of foreign women working without proper permits. Inspections also identified poor working conditions in 14 businesses, which were closed by order of the Market Inspectorate. According to Kosovo Police statistics, authorities investigated 22 cases of facilitating prostitution during the year.
Prosecution files seen by KALLXO.com tell that the exploitation of Latin American women in Kosovo is linked to a broader international trafficking network, according to Editor-in-Chief, Kreshnik Gashi.
Gashi says the arrival of women from Latin America in Prishtina increased after 2020, with many allegedly recruited through false promises of jobs in the hospitality sector.
“What we found in the prosecution files points to an international network that brought these women to Kosovo with promises of jobs in the hospitality industry, but they ended up being exploited through prostitution,” Gashi says.
According to Gashi, the investigation was launched after two women who refused to engage in prostitution were allegedly beaten in a neighbourhood of Prishtina before reporting the abuse to the police.
“The case began to be investigated after the two women reported the assault to the police.”
The problem extends beyond the nightlife industry.
“A form of Modern Slavery”
Illustration. Photo: BIRN
Sylejmani also told Kallxo.com that migrant food delivery riders are another vulnerable group.
“Some of them don’t even have driving licences, they don’t know the area, and they are exploited. They work for one business, then move to another. This is another form of modern slavery.”
According to Sylejmani, the increase in migrant workers has coincided with Kosovo’s growing labour shortage.
He recalls one investigation involving a company that brought Nepali nationals to Kosovo on work visas for jobs they had no qualifications.
“They themselves told us they had no knowledge of the profession for which they had received work visas (de-mining company). The investigation found the documentation had been obtained fraudulently, and the company was shut down.”
Acting Chief Labour Inspector Ahmet Delolli says the Labour Inspectorate regularly conducts joint inspections with Kosovo Police in nightclubs, restaurants, and other businesses employing foreign nationals.
According to Delolli, when foreign workers possess valid work permits, the violations inspectors encounter are mostly the same as those affecting local workers. However, when migrants are employed without legal documentation, inspectors identify undeclared workers with the Tax Administration.
He said businesses found violating labour regulations have faced sanctions.
Delolli also noted that some violations stem from employers’ and recruitment agencies’ lack of familiarity with the legal procedures for the employment of foreign workers.
Alongside enforcement measures, the Inspectorate has also carried out awareness campaigns aimed at improving compliance.
The documentary also highlights a sector that has received little institutional inspection: migrant women employed as caregivers for children or elderly people in private households, mainly from Asia.
Delolli said that the Labour Inspectorate has not conducted inspections in such cases.
“There is a legal possibility to investigate, but we have not received complaints.”
He noted that persons employing domestic workers are considered employers under Kosovo law and may also be subject to labour inspections where there are allegations of abuse.
Blerim Hasani of the Employment Agency says that while the term ‘slavery’ may not always apply in its legal sense, inspectors continue to identify violations of migrant workers’ rights.
“Perhaps we cannot always describe it as slavery in legal terms, but there are certainly cases where workers are employed without contracts, work excessive hours and have their freedom of movement restricted by employers.”
According to Hasani, monitoring and field inspections have increased, while cases reported by workers are referred for further investigation.