State of Hiring & Recruitment in Romania 2026

📊Labour Market Overview

63%

Employment rate (ages 15–64) in 2023 — 7 pts below the 70% OECD average

66.8%

Labour force participation rate, March 2025 — still below OECD/EU norms

5.18M

Record employed population in Romania (March 2025 peak), slipping to 5.12M by year-end

32,610

Active job postings in March 2025, concentrated in services, construction and manufacturing

0.6%

Job vacancy rate in 2025 — among the lowest in the EU, signalling hiring shift to replacement mode

0.6%

GDP growth forecast for 2026 — down from 2.8% expected recovery projected for 2027

💰Wages & Compensation Trends

€1,810

Average Gross Monthly Salary (2026) RON 9,220/month according to the Romanian National Institute of Statistics (INS). Net take-home is approx. €1,155 after taxes.

€850

Minimum Wage from July 2026 (Gross) RON 4,325 gross — net ~€530. From Jan–Jun 2026: RON 4,050 (net ~€506). One of the lowest in the EU, above only Bulgaria and Latvia.

80%+

Romanian Employers Planning Salary Increases Independent HR research (early 2026) shows over 80% of employers plan to raise salaries — with competition increasingly tied to perks and work-life balance.

ANTICIPATED SALARY INCREASE BY FUNCTION (2025)

Sales

+9.3%

Admin & Infrastructure

+9.0%

Human Resources

+7.6%

IT / Technology

+7.1%

⚠️Key Workforce Challenges

19.4%

Romania's NEET rate (Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training) in 2024 — the highest in the EU. Among young women, it reaches 25.2% — surpassing every other European OECD country.

17%

Gender employment gap (men vs. women) in 2023 — up from 11% in 2000, the worst trend in the OECD

27.1%

Estimated undeclared/informal work as % of GVA (2019) — highest in EU, nearly twice the 14.8% EU average

~20%

Romanian-born working-age population residing outside Romania — structural gap fueling chronic labour shortages

6.7%

Adult learning participation (2023) — lowest in EU except Greece, limiting upskilling and reskilling capacity

32 pp

Employment gap for people with disabilities vs. able-bodied peers (2022) — among the widest in the EU

22%

Informal work of total workforce — above 22% remain undeclared, a persistent challenge for HR compliance

✈️Brain Drain & Labour Migration

1

2000–24

Total net emigration amounts to ~10% of the population since 2000. Over 6 million Romanians have emigrated since 1989.

2

2023

Romanian emigration to OECD countries: 244,000 people (−9% YoY). Top destinations: Germany (36%), Spain (19%), Italy (11%).

3

2024

Romanian Government issued 106,000+ work authorisations to non-EU foreign workers to fill domestic shortages.

4

2025

Non-EU workers holding permits reached ~148,000 (+48% YoY), driven by government quotas of 90,000–100,000/year.

5

2024–40

Working-age population (15–64) projected to decline 15% by 2040. Median workforce age to rise from 44.5 to 47.5 years.

💻Tech & IT Sector Hiring

150K+

IT professionals in Romania — a preferred nearshore destination for EU and global tech hiring

60%+

Companies struggling to hire qualified developers within 3 months (2024 IT & Software Labour Market Report)

160:1

Applications per IT job posting in 2025 — a record number, reflecting a saturated entry-level market

€30–50B

Estimated GDP contribution of gen-AI adoption in Romania by 2040 (National AI Strategy 2024–2027)

Role	Annual Salary (EUR)	Demand Level
Senior Developer	€50,000 – €70,000+	Very High
Mid-Level Developer	€30,000 – €45,000	High
Engineering Manager	€65,000 – €90,000	Moderate
Cybersecurity Specialist	€40,000 – €65,000	High
Data Scientist / ML Eng.	€45,000 – €70,000	Very High

🤖AI Adoption & Future of Work

68%

Romanians who have used AI tools at least occasionally (Reveal Marketing Research, early 2026)

44%

Already rely on AI for work tasks including admin support, analysis, and content creation

5.4%

Weekly hours saved per knowledge worker through generative AI (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)

€28.5B

Romania's Recovery & Resilience Plan total — 21.8% earmarked for digital transition

📋At-a-Glance: 20 Critical Metrics

#	Metric	Value	Status
1	Unemployment Rate (2025)	5.8%	Stable
2	Employment Rate (15–64, 2023)	63%	Below EU
3	Youth NEET Rate (2024)	19.4%	Highest EU
4	Gender Employment Gap	17 pp	Worsening
5	Min. Wage (Jul 2026, gross)	RON 4,325	Growing
6	Avg. Net Salary (2026)	RON 5,600 (~€1,100)	Rising
7	Bucharest-Ilfov Avg. Gross	RON 16,300 (~€3,200)	Premium
8	Real Wage Growth (Q4 2025)	−5.0% YoY	Contracting
9	Job Vacancy Rate (2025)	0.6%	Lowest EU
10	Active Job Postings (Mar 2025)	32,610	Moderate
11	IT Professionals Nationwide	150,000+	Competitive
12	Companies Struggling to Hire Dev (3 mo)	60%+	Critical
13	Non-EU Work Permits (2025)	~148,000	+48% YoY
14	Informal/Undeclared Work (% GVA)	27.1%	Highest EU
15	Adult Learning Participation	6.7%	Near-lowest EU
16	AI Tool Users in Workforce	44%	Growing
17	Working-Age Pop. Decline by 2040	−15%	Critical
18	Emigration since 1989	6M+	Structural
19	Min. Wage Workers (2026)	2.1M+	Large share
20	Employers Planning Salary Hike	80%+	Positive

State of Hiring &Recruitmentin Romania 2026

State of Hiring &
Recruitment
in Romania 2026