According to data published by Eurostat On Friday, April 17, Romania, along with Greece and Italy, is in the negative top of the employment rankings.
EU-wide statistics reveal that the highest employment rates were in:
- Malta (83.6%),
- Netherlands (83.4%),
- Czech Republic (82.9%).
They were in opposition:
- Italy (67.6%),
- Romania (69%),
- Greece (71%).
By gender, in all EU countries except Lithuania, the employment rate was higher for men than for women.
The highest employment rate for women was found in:
- Estonia (81.4%),
- Lithuania (80,3%),
- Sweden (79.8%).
The lowest rates were in:
- Italy (58.0%),
- Romania (59,5%),
- Greece (62.3%).
In 2025, the average annual number of job vacancies was 31,000, down by 5,000 from the previous year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
Statistical paradox: Romania has no shortage of jobs
Although the data seem to point to an accelerated decline in Romania's labor market compared to other EU member states, the reality is less theoretical than the statistics make it seem.
"Romania is not short of jobs, but of people available and willing to fill them.
We frequently see companies searching for months for essential positions in construction, manufacturing, logistics or HoReCa, with no results. At the same time, there are also people who are employable, but who do not find themselves in these jobs, either because of salary expectations, conditions or simply because they are unwilling to relocate.
This creates a clear imbalance: demand is there, but it doesn't match supply. This is why more and more employers are looking to recruit staff from outside the EU, especially from Asia," Peisakh Yosef Gavriel, a general manager at a recruitment agency, told DigiEconomic.
Foreign labor is trying to make up the shortfall at home, but the process is a long-term one.
"In our experience, these employees come with stability and seriousness, which greatly helps companies to be able to plan their work.
But this is not a quick or simple solution either. The process takes on average several months, and for an employer under pressure, that time means real losses: delayed contracts, delayed projects or missed opportunities.
In addition, there is also a lack of predictability in terms of procedures and the number of workers approved each year, which makes any medium-term planning difficult," he explains.
Romania's labor market needs concrete measures to recover.
"In a nutshell, what we see in the market is a system that is operating with difficulty: employers need people, but they get them hard and late, and the local labor force does not really meet those needs.
Without faster and more tailored measures, both to activate the local workforce and to facilitate external recruitment, this imbalance will continue," concludes Peisakh Yosef Gavriel.
