With 6 million Romanians leaving to work abroad, Romanian employers are forced to look for labor in faraway Asia. As a result, more than 140 000 Nepalese, Filipinos, Indians and Sri Lankans are now employed in Romania. To persuade them not to move further west, employers offer them free board and lodging and pay four times as much as in their own country.
An exotic presence in Romania 10 years ago, Asian workers have today become an important part of society. And businesses in all sectors would go bankrupt if it weren't for them. Asanka is from Sri Lanka. He is 43 and a driver for a company in Bucharest. He's been in Romania for a year and a half and has no plans to leave any time soon.
Asanka, driver: I plan to bring my family here too! It's a good opportunity here in Romania!
Reporter: Send half your paycheck to your family?
Asanka, driver: I can send 80-85%, because the company provides my room and board!
An example of how well Asian workers can adapt to us is Magie. 13 years ago, she came from the Philippines to work as a nanny. In the meantime, she moved to office work in a Bucharest firm.
Magie Mamanta, Filipina worker: We came here for the job opportunities, because back home in the Philippines we face discrimination and we can't find jobs!
Every day, she thinks of the little boy she left at home in the care of his grandparents. Magie is like the hundreds of thousands of mothers from Romania who have left for Spain and Italy, also to ensure a better future for their children back home. Perhaps that's why those who know her treat her as one of their own.
Magie Mamanta, Filipina worker: Romanians are very nice, generous and kind. They have a kind heart and treated me like family!
Yosef Peisakh, head of Asian recruitment agency: Just like Romanians who leave to work in other countries, Asians also come to us, for a better salary, to provide a better living for their families!
Over 140,000 foreign workers in Romania
The demand for labor is still huge, because our people are also leaving for richer countries that offer higher wages.
Reporter: Will Asian workers keep coming to Romania?
Valeriu Nicolae, Asian accommodation complex manager: Absolutely! In this economy, non-EU citizens are indispensable. The Horeca sector in Romania would die without the support of these citizens.
And Romanian employers have realized that if they don't offer civilized conditions to foreign workers, they will bypass Romania. That's how these housing estates have sprung up, filled with people from Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. Valeriu Nicolae is the manager of one such neighborhood where more than 2,000 foreigners live. They live four to a room, but have their own private bathroom, kitchen and security guard. Their underwear is changed every three days.
Valeriu Nicolae, Asian accommodation complex manager: There are about 100 rooms in the complex, the complex is monitored inside and outside. We can always visualize any non-compliance.
It costs employers €6 a day to put a worker in hostel accommodation
In Romania, Asians earn, on average, 500-600 euros per month. Three, even four times more than they earn in their own country.
Yosef Peisakh, head of Asian recruitment agency: They're serious, they're English-speaking, they're determined to send money home, they can be relied on.
Reporter: In which areas do they work?
Yosef Peisakh, head of Asian recruitment agency: In all areas! Construction, Horeca, light industry, heavy industry, nannies, housekeepers.
With Romania's entry into Air-Schengen, a phenomenon has arisen that is giving employers a headache. Their Asian employees have started leaving in increasing numbers for the West, even though they know that if they are caught overstaying they will be deported.
