Working in Romania
The latest news from the Romanian labor market.
Eugen Cojocariu, 26.06.2025, 14:00
The job vacancy rate in the European Union stood at 2.2% in the first quarter of 2025, down from 2.3% in the previous three months and from 2.6% in the same period in 2024, according to data from the European Statistical Office. The lowest job vacancy rates among EU member states in the January-March period were in Romania (0.6%), Poland (0.8%), Spain and Bulgaria (both 0.9%), while the member states with the highest rates were the Netherlands (4.2%), Belgium (4.1%) and Austria (3.6%). In Romania, the job vacancy rate fell to 0.6% in the period January-March 2025, from 0.7% in the first quarter of 2024. By sectors of activity, in Romania in the first quarter of this year, the job vacancy rate was 0.6% in industry and construction and 0.7% in services. At the EU level, this indicator was 1.9% in industry and construction, respectively 2.5% in services.
Romania recorded the highest increase in labor costs in the entire European Union in the first quarter of this year compared to the similar period in 2024. This is an increase of 16.1%, almost 4 times more than the EU average, which is 4.1 percent, and about 5 times more than tllnhe Eurozone average, where an increase of only 3.4% was recorded. Romania is followed by Croatia, with an increase of 13.5%, Bulgaria with 13% and Slovenia, with almost 12 percent. At the opposite pole, the smallest increases in labor costs were recorded in Malta – 1.5% and France – 1.9%, followed by Germany with an increase of 2.8 percent and Luxembourg with 3.4%. By activity areas, these costs increased, on average, by 3.3% in industry, by 5.2% in construction and by 4.7% in services. Labor costs include both wage and non-wage expenses.
The County Employment Agency of Caraş-Severin, in western Romania, announces that over 300 jobs are vacant in the county. Most jobs are found in the cities of Reşiţa, Bocşa, Caransebeş, Oraviţa and Băile Herculane. There are 256 job openings in Reşiţa. Thus, 86 couriers, 50 door-to-door salespeople, 15 security guards, 10 assemblers, adjusters and troubleshooters of electronic equipment, 10 warehouse workers, 8 unskilled workers, as well as electricians, welders, waiters, assistant managers, car mechanics, data operators and personnel for sanitation or maintenance of green spaces are being sought. In Bocşa, 28 jobs are vacant, especially for poultry farmers, electromechanical engineers and designers, computer numerical control machine operators in slaughterhouses and unskilled workers. In Caransebeş, there are 7 positions for maintenance technicians, quality control engineers, production planners, cook assistants and security guards. In Oraviţa, 20 sanitation workers are being sought, and in Băile Herculane, 3 such jobs are available. Details can be found on the website of the Caraş-Severin County Employment Agency.
World Refugee Day was marked on June 20. In Timişoara, in western Romania, in solidarity with the millions of people around the world forced to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution or violence, the LOGS association organized an event recognizing their resilience and courage. The association’s president, Flavius Ilioni Loga, said that both refugees and migrants living in Timişoara benefit from a series of social and community integration services. They receive social counseling, and if they need a job, they are sent to courses. Also, if their children need to be enrolled in school, the association mediates this process. The same happens with those who need a family doctor or want to find a place to live. Flavius Ilioni stated that LOGS assists over 200 refugees monthly. There are currently approximately 1,000 refugees living in Timisoara, of which about 700 are from Ukraine, and the rest from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq.
