Romania dependent on foreign workers. Companies are asking the government to approve the recruitment of tens of thousands more workers. Last year, the quota of 100,000 foreign workers was exhausted. For this year, companies have asked for approval to recruit another 40,000 foreigners, according to figures Economedia.ro. The government has not yet given the green light. The greatest need for foreign workers is in areas such as HoReCa, manufacturing and construction.
The growing need for foreign workers in Romania was seen last year, when companies hired 100,000 foreign workers, reaching the quota set by the government for last year, according to data obtained by Economedia from the General Inspectorate for Immigration.
At the middle of last year, almost 90,000 foreigners from 178 countries were working in Romania, almost twice as many as in June 2019, when the private sector reoriented itself and started hiring Asian staff. Most foreigners arriving in Romania with a two-year contract in HoReCa, construction, manufacturing and transportation come from India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
Romania offers the same minimum wage as Romanian employees
Romanian employers want loyal and stable employees, say representatives of the Employers' Association of Labor Importers. Yosef Gavriel Peisakh, co-founder of the Labor Importers' Employers' Association, expects at least 50,000 more than the 100,000 that have been approved.
Romania offers the same minimum wage as Romanian employees. Foreigners also work longer hours and are paid more. This year, 140,000 employees would be needed, but for now, the government has still given a hundred thousand recruitment notices, the same as in 2022.
In 2022, the total number of applications for the issuance of employment permits submitted by employers amounted to 138,350 people, which is 401TPTP3T above the quota set by the Government. It can be seen from the number of applications that the labor market could have absorbed a much larger labor force from abroad if allowed to do so. By comparison, the number of applications in 2021 amounted to 59,587, 10% above the set quota.
