Romanian youth and the labor market

23% of Romanians aged between 18 and 24 are not in employment, education or training, a situation which, according to the OECD, represents a major public policy concern.

Roxana Vasile, 04.11.2026, 14:00

Eurostat data show that Romania currently has the highest proportion in the European Union of young people who are neither in work nor in education. Romania also holds the EU record for youth unemployment, with around a quarter of those aged under 24 out of work. Moreover, youth unemployment is up to eight times higher than the national unemployment rate across all working-age groups.

An OECD report, “Education at a Glance 2026”, also sounds the alarm: 23% of young Romanians aged between 18 and 24 are not in employment, education or training. They belong to what is known as the NEET category (neither in employment nor in education and training), whose share is considerably above the OECD average of just 14%. Young adults who are not in employment, education or training are a major public policy concern, as prolonged periods of inactivity at an early age can have lasting negative effects on their subsequent socio-economic prospects, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warns.

Sociologist Mihai Dumitru, a researcher specializing in youth-related issues, believes this is one of Romania’s most serious social problems: “Youth is a transitional period between adolescence and adulthood, when young people establish themselves within social relationships. They choose, or seek, to build as many social connections as possible or, conversely, they become isolated. The fact that they are neither in the education system nor active in the labor market means that they are becoming socially isolated, with consequences for their individual development and, importantly, for society as a whole. We are currently going through a period of changes that are not particularly visible, but are extremely profound, driven by the technological revolution, which will transform the labor market. At first sight, young people should have an opportunity here, because they handle artificial intelligence tools better, or use them more extensively, than other generations. Unfortunately, social barriers still exist. The first factor that causes young people to fail in the labor market is education. As we know, many young people leave school in much higher proportions than in any other EU country, at various stages. One in five drop out of university after their first year for financial reasons, personal problems, marriage, having children and so on. But without an adequate education, they cannot secure a place in the labor market. Secondly, and interestingly, employers in Romania are looking for people with experience. Yet a young person who has finished school, or dropped out after completing secondary education, simply does not have what employers are looking for: experience.”

The overall proportion of Romanians with higher education qualifications is just 19%, considerably lower than the 56% who have completed secondary or post-secondary education. According to Eurostat data, only 23% of young Romanians aged between 25 and 34 have graduated from a higher education institution. Some young people who complete university end up working in entirely different fields from those for which they trained. Where does the disconnect between education and the demands of the labour market occur?

Researcher Mihai Dumitru: “This is a matter of planning within the education system. There has always been a demand for schools to adapt to the needs of the labor market. Many employers say: ‘Look, they come in knowing a lot of theory, but they are not suited to what I need them to do in the workplace. So this is where work needs to be done within the education system: adapting schools. What professions are we training them for? What kind of world are we preparing them for? Because, let me say it again, the world we live in will change over the next ten years, and the labor market will be completely different from what it is today.”

Without a long-term national strategy to support them, today’s young people could easily be left behind. If they are left to fend for themselves, they will face serious difficulties, Mihai Dumitru believes: “There are certainly solutions! But for that, we need a long-term strategy focused on young people. What are we going to do with the generations coming up? I will leave aside the fact that their numbers are falling, as is their share of the population. As an aside, Romania’s population is ageing. In 1992, the average age was almost 35. Now it is over 40. So the population is getting older. The younger generation will be the one driving this transition into the technological revolution. That is why we need an overall strategy for young people, focusing, without doubt, first and foremost on education and, secondly, on how to remove barriers in the labor market or encourage employers to hire young people.”

Of the hundreds of thousands of young people in Romania who are neither working nor attending school, around 70% cannot find a job that meets their expectations. Yet people without a profession or a job are marginalized members of society. “Who am I? And what do I do?” are questions every young person asks at the beginning of their journey through life. Not having a profession or a job, however, means facing a higher long-term risk of social exclusion, material deprivation and financial dependence on family.

There is also a more practical consequence: the later a generation enters the labor market, the later it begins contributing to the social security system, the economy and society as a whole. Furthermore, a generation that is still trying to find its place and enters the labour market late will come at a considerable cost. In the meantime, the economy needs resources which, if they cannot be found domestically, will have to be brought in from abroad. (EE)