Seeking employment abroad, the perks and the pitfalls

Romanians working abroad

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Luiza Moldovan, 04.10.2023, 14:00

According to statistical data provided by the Romanian
Foreign Affairs Ministry, over 5.7 million Romanians are abroad, according to
the most recent census. All of them have the required legal papers for their
stay outside the country. Unofficially, however, there also is a great number of
Romanians who works in Western Europe, among whom a great number of them is undeclared. So with no legal documents! With a demographic situation in a
continuous crisis, Romania adds up to the number of countries hit by economic difficulties.
The pandemic brought many of Romanians back to their country of origin, yet the dire
economic situation sent those people back to the countries they came from. With or without
legal documents in order, a growing number of Romanians yet again embarked upon
the path of self-exile, because here, the salaries do not align with the
inflation rate, which is visible in the quality of life here and in the lack
of perspective, longer-term.

So what can a Romanian do abroad? Most of the countries
on the lookout for workforce from us are somehow, traditional: Germany, The
Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, but also Norway, Sweden and Finland. The
e-jobs portal has pointed to a downward trend in Romanians’ intention to leave,
as compared to the number of applications.

With details on that, here is the
e-jobs Head of Communications, Ana Calugaru:

Since
early January and until now, the number of application for a job abroad has diminished.
For this period of time, we had almost 34,000 applications for jobs abroad. That means 1. 4% of the total number of
applications. The countries that received the greatest number of applications
have been Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, The Republic of Ireland, Cyprus
or Great Britain. Spain and Italy have fallen out of favor pretty much as
compared to 6,7,8 years ago, when they used to be very popular.

Most of the candidates look for jobs for which no qualification is
required, which shortens the time for the job search, at once widening the
range of job opportunities.

Here is the e-jobs Head of Communications, Ana Calugaru, once
again:

Speaking about the
areas where most of the vacancies have been posted. To that end, since the beginning
of the year and until now, employers from abroad have posted 55,000 job
vacancies for candidates from Romania. Most of the vacancies come from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, England,
Spain, Belgium and Denmark. The domains for which the Romanians are extremely sought-after
are transports, logistics, navy, aeronautics, production, constructions,
tourism, services, food industry, retail and healthcare.

Regarding the wages, the Romanians could go and
work abroad even for a thousand euros. In agriculture, the net wages per hour
range from 8.50 to 10 euros, meaning that, at the end of the month, the net
income amounts to as much as 1,000 euros or thereabouts.

For example, in Spain, for a job in administration,
the gross income per month accounts for 1,900 euros, while in agriculture and administration,
it stands at almost 1,700 euros. Also in Spain, in arts and culture, the
monthly income is 1,900 euros, in the constructions sector, 2,400 Euros, in
mining and metallurgy, 2,300 Euros, while in the healthcare system, the monthly
gross income accounts for 2,000 euros. A fruit picker gets 1,100 euros, the
lowest salary.

In the Low Countries, a monthly salary in
agriculture stands at 2,850 euros. For a job in arts and culture, the salary
per month stands at roughly 3,170 euros. For a truck driver, the salary per month
ranges from 2,070 to 4,450 euros. For a physician, the salary ranges from 3, 000
to 7, 100 euro.

In Germany, extremely sought-after is the care home
staff. The demand is high for this job, given the demographic decline. Germany lures
the Romanians with experience in the field with an annual income ranging from 32,
500 to 39, 000 Euros, plus perks, such as rent subsidies for the first month,
free-of-charge language courses, furnished apartments and 30-day vacations per
year.

In Italy, a Romanian with no qualification can earn
roughly 1,250 euros per month, in the constructions sector, for instance.

In Denmark, no qualification is
needed for a job on a farm. The salary accounts for 1,600 euros. For a job in
constructions sector or in a slaughter house, the monthly wages range from 2, 100
de euro to 2, 500 euro.

Here is the e-jobs Head of
Communications, Ana Calugaru, once again, this time speaking about the other
perks Western Europe employers offer to the Romanians who intend to work in
their companies:

What
other perks do they offer? Healthcare insurance, one or two-month accommodation
subsidies offered until employees can find their own accommodation. For some
positions, companies can also offer a relocation premium.

Statistically speaking, the happiest are the Romanians working in
Spain. Spain offers a fine job-daily life balance which is very attractive for them.
For this very reason, a growing number of Romanians opt for leaving Germany to work in Spain. At any rate, according to the specialists’ advice, those who may wish to
do that should sleep on it, in case they intend to work abroad.