Working in Romania

The latest on the Romanian labour market and foreign workers

Sorin Iordan, 02.11.2023, 13:46

27% of
the Romanian managers are concerned with the labour shortage reported in the
first half of the year, according to a Confidex survey conducted by Impetum
Group. This is 16% more than the level reported at the end of lui 2022. The
labour shortage seems to become one of the main concerns for the business
environment, overtaking other worrying issues such as the inflation rate and
price rises, which were a concern for almost half of the managers interviewed
at the end of last year, the polling company said. One solution to this
problem, according to some managers, is to integrate public sector employees in
the private system and to import human resources from other countries. But the
latter has proved complicated, given that Romania is not an attractive country
for immigrant workers, so employee retention is a challenge in itself, the
survey authors also pointed out. The Confidex survey aims to provide a clear
image of the perceptions of business people in Romania, with more than 2,500
entrepreneurs and company executives taking part in the 8 editions of the poll
so far.

The
biggest problem facing construction companies in Romania at present has to do
with the workforce, an IBC Focus report reads. Over 75% of the constructions
entrepreneurs say they still struggle with labour shortages, and only 11% of
the respondents say they have enough employees and well trained people in their
teams. Nearly 58% of the participants in the poll said they were interested in increasing
their personnel numbers in the coming year. Also, one in 3 constructions
companies in Romania currently uses foreign workers, as opposed to 1 in 4
companies last year. The authors of the poll argue that the number of companies
adjusting to the labour market and defining procedures for employing foreign
workers is growing, and some 20% of the construction companies in Romania are
looking at the option of hiring foreign nationals.

Another survey, conducted by Deloitte, indicates
that 41% of the companies operating in Romania which say they cannot find
enough staff are facing a shortage of skills required for the current business
systems, which is why companies increasingly resort to so-called workforce
eco-systems, which involve the identification and management of new types of
human resources, such as consultants, freelancers, contractors or outsourcing, in
addition to traditional workforce consisting of full time or part time
employees. The Deloitte report also indicates that, for companies in Romania,
the benefits of a workforce eco-system comprising several different types of
human resources and managed through customized strategies and processes include
improved financial performance for 41% of the respondents and better personnel
retention for 29% of the respondents. Taking part in the latest edition of the Global
Human Capital Trends report, conducted by Deloitte on a yearly basis, were
around 10,000 respondents from 105 countries, including Romania.

More than 4,000 foreign nationals were found
staying in Romania illegally in the first 9 months of this year, the General
Immigration Inspectorate announced. In January – September, the police
conducted nearly 13,000 checks and inspections aimed at preventing and fighting
the illegal stay and unregistered employment of foreign nationals in Romania. Local
employment inspectorate employees also took part in these actions. Some 9,000
fines were issued for the violation of the legal and employment status of
foreigners, and around 3,200 people were issued return decisions. Another 1,000
were escorted out of the country, and 960 others were taken into custody until
their repatriation. (AMP)