Foreign Workers

The number of foreigners who can come to work in Romania in 2024 will reach 140,000

Sorin Iordan, 07.12.2023, 19:58

The
number of foreigners who can come to work in Romania in 2024 will
reach 140,000, 40% more than the threshold set for this year,
according to an analysis published by the online recruitment platform
eJobs. Currently, a draft government decision in this regard is under
public debate at the Romanian Ministry of Labor. eJobs reports that
most companies offering jobs during this period operate in wholesale,
hotels and restaurants, services, construction, transportation, and
the logistics and tourism sectors. The most common available
positions are in the entry level segment , which requires a maximum
of two years of experience. On the recruitment platform, almost
350,000 jobs were advertised from the beginning of January until the
end of November. Of these, 86,000 were posted by employers in retail,
51,000 by companies in services, 40,000 by those in the food
industry, 37,000 by those in the hospitality industry, 32,000 by
employers in transportation and logistics, and 28,000 by those in
construction. According to the eJobs salary comparative data tool, at
the national level, the monthly net salary averages, for an employee
occupying an entry level position in these fields, between 2,600 and
3,600 lei, i.e. between approximately 525 and 725 euros. Those
working in tourism earn 2,600 lei (525 euros) per month, those in
retail, the food industry, and the hospitality industry, 3,000 lei
(600 euros). In transportation and distribution, average wages are
3,100 lei (625 euros). Workers in construction earn 3,600 lei (725
euros). The number of work permits granted to foreign workers
increased by 50% in 2022, to 100,000, from 50,000 a year earlier.
According to official data, last year more than 96,000 employment
contracts were registered for employees from outside the European
Union.

The European Commission has recently
proposed the creation of an online platform where job offers can be
posted, in sectors with a labor shortage in EU states for which
workers from third party countries can be employed. The proposal is
included in a package of measures, which also include a
recommendation regarding the recognition of the qualifications of
citizens from non-EU countries. The vice-president of the European
Commission, Margaritis Schinas, said that EU countries will need
about 20 million people to work in the information and communication
technologies sector in 2030, and currently there are only 9 million
employees in this sector in the EU. He emphasized that the Union is
in competition for attracting new talents with countries such as the
USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For her part, the European
Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said that these
proposals are part of a ‘global approach to migration’ and aim to
create ‘legal entry routes’ into the EU. Participation in the system
will be voluntary for each member state of the Union. The Community
Executive has identified 42 sectors with labor shortages in the EU.
In Romania, this deficit could reach 224,000 people in 2026 in the
absence of immediate measures, the American Chamber of Commerce in
Bucharest recently reported.

The number of foreigners from non-EU
countries who arrive to work in Romania in order to later try to
leave illegally for Western European countries is increasing. Many
times, they wait to collect a few salaries, then they run over
Romania’s border with Serbia or Hungary. According to statistics, a
Romanian employer spends approximately 700 euros to bring a worker
from outside the European Union to the country. To this amount is
added the monthly salary, as well as accommodation and food for each
worker. Some foreign workers, however, choose Romania only as a
launching point for Western countries. According to the Employers’
Association of Labor Importers from Romania, workers from Pakistan
and Bangladesh have a predisposition towards illegal migration.
Employers’ associations warn those who intend to leave Romania
illegally that they can no longer receive a valid residence permit
and visa in another EU member state. According to data from the
Border Police, over the last year more than 6,300 foreign citizens
were detected trying to cross the border illegally, most of them into
Hungary.