Romania, like other Central and Eastern European countries, has been facing a labour shortage for several years, as many Romanians have decided to move from their country and work in Western European states, where salaries and living standards are higher. As a result of economic growth, more and more companies in Romania have turned to non-EU workers to cover the deficit in the country. Sectors such as construction, HoReCa, agriculture, tourism are lacking staff and companies have started recruiting foreign workers, especially from South Asian and South-East Asian countries.
Workers from Asia are an opportunity for the Romanian labor market
According to the latest official data, in 2022 more than 90,000 foreign workers have come to Romania to work. Also employers are becoming more and more welcome eager to hire them. In terms of age, our survey of employees from South Asia and South East Asia reveals that most of them are young people – 60% between 26 and 35 y/o, 37% between 18 and 25 y/o, only 2% between 36 and 45 y/o and 1% over 45 y/o. The average age is 27 years. With proper support from government institutions and society, these people will adapt to the Romanian labour market easily. This would have a very positive effect on Romania’s economic development in the long term.
Who and where did find employment in Romania?
Our study showed that 3 out of 4 non-EU workers in Romania are men (76.8%) and only 23.2% are women. They come mainly from Asian countries, such as: India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Majority of them are workers with secondary education, and only a small part of them are qualified. Most work in construction (39%), followed by services (14%), transport, logistics, housekeeping etc.
