Radio România Internațional

Tag: unemployment statistics

March 14, 2025

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION – Candidates for the presidential election in May have two more days to register with the Central Election Bureau, the deadline being March 15 at midnight. So far, only two candidates are officially enrolled in the race, their candidacies having been validated by the Constitutional Court: Crin Antonescu, supported by the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition, and the Bucharest Mayor General, Nicuşor Dan, who runs as an independent candidate. Deputy Victor Ponta also registered his candidacy as an independent candidate, for which he was excluded from the Social-Democratic Party. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court’s decision to definitively reject the candidacy of independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian extremist who unexpectedly won the first round of last year’s presidential election, has prompted the parties that supported him, AUR and POT, to prepare a new electoral strategy. Thus, the leaders of the two parties, George Simion and Ana-Maria Gavrilă, announced they would both submit their candidacies for the presidential election, and one of them will withdraw once their candidacies are validated. The leader of USR, Elena Lasconi, who advanced to the second round last year, Diana Şoşoacă (from SOS Romania), who expressed confidence her candidacy would be upheld this time, as well as and MEP Cristian Terheş from the Romanian National Conservative Party, also submitted their candidacies.

AID – The Government on Thursday adopted an additional 160-Euro financial aid for 2.5 million pensioners, more specifically those reporting incomes below 520 Euro. The aid will be disbursed in two installments, the first in April, the second in December, says Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

STATISTICS – Romania’s active population stood at 8.17 million people at the end of 2024, of whom 7.7 million were employed, the National Statistics Institute reports. The employment rate is by 20% higher in the male segment and very low for youth. The unemployment rate at national level was 5.9%, with young people aged 24 and below accounting for 25% of the total number of unemployed.

TRADE DEFICIT – Romania’s trade deficit increased by 38% in January, compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Institute reports. In 2024, Romania exported goods worth €92.6 billion, while its imports stood at €133.4 billion. Romania’s deficit remains significant, especially in relations with China, Germany and Poland, while recording surpluses with the UK, the Republic of Moldova and the USA, although in smaller volumes. Trade in agricultural products and foostuffs remains vulnerable, as Romania mainly exports raw materials and imports end products. To reduce the €5 billion trade deficit in this area, experts recommend a strategy focused on the export of value-added products and more efficient use of statistical data for better-founded economic decisions.

WEATHER ALERT – Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert against strong wind, in place today for the west, southwest and center. On Thursday, storms were reported in Bucharest and several counties, with a code red alert against thunderstorms in place for several hours. The storm killed a man, injured another two people and caused significant material damages. Rooftops were torn off, electricity poles snapped and power outages were reported in over 35 settlements. In Bucharest and the neighboring Ilfov County over 60 trees were felled, constructions elements came loose and a pole was knocked down by the wind. Dozens of cars were damaged. Variable skies and temperatures ranging between 16 and 24 degrees Celsius are reported for today, with possible showers and thunderstorms announced in most regions.

FOOTBALL – UEFA has handed FCSB a 30,000-Euro fine for the incidents reported in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16, played in Bucharest. Parts of the stadium will also be closed for the next match in EU competitions. The penalties were awarded due to the racist or discriminatory abuse by fans. The club will have to pay an additional 1,500 Euro for torches lit in the stands. FCSB lost the first leg 3-1 in Bucharest last week as well as the second leg played yesterday away from home to Olympique Lyon of France. (VP)

14 March 2025
August 1, 2023

MARKUP – The markup for 14 categories of foodstuffs is curbed for a
limited period of three months according to a government decree adopted in late
June. Prices for dairy products, meat, vegetable and fruit are therefore
expected to go down. Farmers will not be obliged to set a cap on prices,
government officials say. Failure to observe the new legislation will incur
fines up to 400,000 EUR.

CAR SCRAPPING – A new car scrapping scheme
was launched in Romania with a view to scrapping old vehicles owned by
individual car owners. Apart from the funds provided by the Environment
Ministry, accounting for 80% of the program’s budget, local authorities also
contribute 20%. Whereas the first phase in April was addressed to City Halls,
in the second phase individual car owners can apply. The deadline for
applications is set for August 31 or until the funds are depleted. The number
of beneficiaries was set according to the population of each administrative
unit. The program was supposed to kick off in 2022, but has been repeatedly
delayed.

3SI – Bucharest will host a new Summit
of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) on September 6, held under the high
patronage of president Klaus Iohannis. The summit will be followed by the 3SI
Business Forum. Attending will be Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă and Prime
Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The 3SI brings together 12 EU member states from the
Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas – Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and
Slovenia. Political and economic support for Ukraine will rank high on the
summit’s agenda.

BORDER POLICE – The Border Police
announced increased traffic on Romania’s borders despite additional measures to
ease traffic. The overcrowding of borders is owed to many Romanians in the
Diaspora coming home to spend their summer holidays with their families and
friends, while many Romanians choose holiday destinations abroad. The
authorities urge drivers to use all border crossing points. The Arad Border
Police spokesman Alexandru Dincă said that border police staff are working at
full capacity and additional control lanes have been added depending on the
dynamic of traffic flows. At the same time, mobile control stations will be
deployed in order to ensure optimal border crossing.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate
stood at 5.4% in June, down by 0.1% compared to May, the National Statistics
Institute reports. The number of unemployed stood at nearly 445 thousand in
June, a decrease also compared to the same period of 2022. Broken down in terms
of gender, the unemployment rate for men exceeded that of women by 0.8%. Youth
unemployment stands at some 22%.

JUSTICE – Justice Minister Alina
Gorghiu met with US Ambassador in Romania, Kathleen Kavalec. The agenda for
talks included bilateral judicial cooperation, combating human trafficking and
the digitization of the justice system in Romania. Minister Gorghiu said the
Strategic Partnership with the USA is key to promoting human rights and the
rule of law. The Romanian official hailed the good level of bilateral relations
in the justice field, and suggested new areas of cooperation, such as legal
education in Romanian schools. Alina Gorghiu highlighted the importance of a
predictable legislation for the development of the business sector and boosting
foreign direct investment in Romanian economy. The Romanian official expressed
Romania’s firm commitment to combat corruption and implement the
recommendations of the 2022 Rule of Law Report of the Venice Commission. With
regard to human trafficking, Alina Gorghiu said the Justice Ministry has
fulfilled its obligations as per the 2022 Report on Human Trafficking and other
country-specific reports in this field.

SPORT – Romanian athletes on Monday won
five medals – three gold, one silver and one bronze – at the Francophone Games
held in Kinshasa, Congo. In wrestling, our athletes scooped two gold medals,
one silver and one bronze. Romania’s table tennis team also won gold after
defeating Tunisia in the final. On Sunday, Romania grabbed three medals – two
gold and one silver – in the free wrestling competition. Romania thus ranks
first in the medal standings with 7 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze, followed by
Morocco and Cameroon. 57 Romanian athletes represent Romania at the 9th
edition of the Francophone Games in athletics, women’s basketball, free
wrestling, African wrestling, road bicycle racing, table tennis and judo. The
competition is hosted by Congo over July 28 – August 6. (VP)

1 August 2023
May 3, 2023 UPDATE

BANK – The
foreign currency reserves of the National Bank of Romania were in excess of EUR
53 bln at the end of April, up 0.21% compared to the previous month. The gold
reserves stay at 103.6 tons. High forex reserves ensure investor confidence,
analysts explain, adding that this was mostly due to EU fund receipts.

UNEMPLOYMENT
– The unemployment rate in Romania dropped slightly, from 5.5% in February to
5.4% in March, but unemployment among youth remains high, at 22.2%, the
National Statistics Institute reports. The number of people between the ages of
15 and 74 receiving unemployment benefits in March was over 453,000, a decrease
compared both to the previous month of this year and to the corresponding
period in 2022. Among men, the rate was 5.8%, whereas the proportion of unemployed
women was 5%. For adults aged 25 to 74, the unemployment rate stood at 4.4%.

SOLIDARITY
TAX – The Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday passed a decree introducing a
solidarity tax to be levied on companies operating in the field of extracting
and refining oil, natural gas and coal. On Tuesday, the Senate reexamined the
law, eliminating the 60% contribution from the companies’ excess profits.
However, under an amendment tabled by coalition parties, a €70 fee per ton of
refined oil has been added. Companies that reported no production in the
2018-2021 period are exempt from this tax. The USR opposition party has
criticized the law, arguing it is designed to exempt certain companies from
paying this tax.

MILK -
Nearly 80% of Romanian milk processors have signed an agreement designed to
reduce shelf prices for this product, the Competition Council announced on
Wednesday. The agreement has come into force at the start of May, but some
price drop-offs are lower because contracts between retailers and processors
are still being renegotiated. Over the next 6 months, processors and traders pledged
to share a reduction in milk prices when shelf prices exceed €1.4, which could
prompt a 20% drop in prices.

INCIDENT
– Eight children and a security guard are dead after a shooting in a school in
Belgrade. According to local police, a 14-year-old student has been arrested in
connection to the attack. The incident caused a public shock in Serbia, where
despite the large number of gun permits, shootings are very rare and have never
before occurred in schools. The authorities have decreed a three-day national
mourning in memory of the victims.

GRAIN – The
European Commission announced exceptional and temporary measures on imports of
a limited number of products from Ukraine. They concern only 4 products-wheat,
maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed-and are designed to alleviate logistical bottlenecks
concerning these products in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Meanwhile, Romania will receive an additional EUR 30 bln to support farmers
affected by the cheap grains imports from Ukraine. Stay tuned for details after
the news.

CORONATION
– Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, and the Prince Consort, will
take part on Saturday in the coronation of King Charles III of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Royal House of Romania
announced on Wednesday in a Facebook post. In the 157 years of existence of the
Royal House of Romania, the connection with the British royal family has been
steady, based on admiration, respect and affection, both in its official
dimension, representing the two nations, and in its private, family aspect,
reads the post. The Royal House adds that this reliable relationship has
spanned the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and
five generations.

(AMP & VP)

3 May 2023
April 29, 2021

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA -
1.850 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported on Thursday in Romania
after some 35,000 tests, the Group for Strategic Communication announced.
Another 138 related fatalities were also reported, while 1,295 people are
currently in intensive care. Over 1,050,000 people have tested positive for
COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and 27,971 people have died to the
virus. The infection rate continues to exceed 3 per thousand inhabitants in the
capital city Bucharest and in Ilfov and Cluj counties, although the numbers are
dropping steadily. On the other hand, the Government’s special committee for
relaxing measures starting June 1 convened again to highlight the need for
adapting relaxation measures depending on the specificity of each field of
activity. Representatives of associations and employers’ associations made
clear-cut proposals for the organization of cultural events with the observance
of health safety regulations. The committee also discussed the gradual
reopening of hotels and restaurants as more and more people get vaccinated. All
proposals will be analyzed, starting today, by think-tanks that will address
each specific field. Meanwhile, the authorities are accelerating the
vaccination campaign. New vaccination centers will open this week. Some 84
thousand people got immunized yesterday.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD -
The international community is rallying to support India, a week after this
country was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with daily record-high numbers
of infections and fatalities and a health system under duress. The biggest
concern is the so-called Indian strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which spreads
rapidly and could be even more contagious and vaccine- and treatment-resistant
than other strains, the WHO has warned. With a population of nearly 1.4 billion
people, India has reported 200 thousand deaths and over 18 million infections
since the start of the outbreak. Some experts believe numbers could be even
higher. Great Britain has been sending oxygen concentrators and other medical
equipment, while the United States will be shipping 60 million doses of the
AstraZeneca vaccine. Romania has joined this international effort and delivered
200 oxygen concentrators via a Romanian Air Force Spartan aircraft.

HOLIDAY -Before the May 1st mini-holiday,
which this year coincides with the Orthodox Easter holiday, Prime Minister
Florin Cîţu calls on the population to keep observing anti-coronavirus sanitary
rules, even if Romania is now on a descending slope of the third wave of the
pandemic. He has urged the prefects and the police to take all measures to
ensure compliance with the health rules in place. In the Romanian resorts on
the Black Sea, over 30 thousand tourists are expected during the mini-holiday
of May 1 and Easter. About 100 hotels will be opened, many of them already occupied
at 70% capacity, the maximum allowed by the authorities. Tourists are not
allowed to party on the beach, and wearing a mask is mandatory.

PNNR -
The leaders of the center-right ruling coalition in Bucharest have adopted the
National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNNR) worth 29 billion Euro. The plan
will be presented in Brussels starting May 10, when the final negotiations with
European Commission representatives are due to take place. Prime Minister
Florin Cîţu said none of the proposed projects will be discarded. In turn,
Minister for Investment and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, said funding
for certain investment has been reduced, while budget appropriations have been
readjusted to reflect the Commission’s recommendations.

PASSION
WEEK – Orthodox and Eastern-Orthodox Christians in Romania today
mark Maundy Thursday, the fourth day of Passion Week when they recall the
Lord’s Supper, the arrest and trial of Jesus. Passion Week precedes the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ and marks a time of humbleness and spiritual cleansing ahead of
the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar. Tonight, Orthodox believers
will attend a special mass where the 12 Gospels will be read, covering the last
moments in the life of Jesus, from the Lord’s Supper to his crucifixion. In his
last supper, Jesus Christ laid the foundations for the Holy Eucharist, offering
Christians the possibility to partake in the Body and Blood of the Lord. On the
same day, according to Gospel of John, Jesus withdrew to Gethsemane Garden to
pray. Betrayed by Judas, he was arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin and
sentenced to death for blasphemy.

UNEMPLOYMENT -
The unemployment rate stood at 5.5% in March, down by 0.2% compared to
February, a National Statistics Institute report reads. The number of
unemployed aged 15-74 stood at 464 thousand in March, compared to 478 thousand
the previous month. Broken down in terms of gender, unemployed men account for
5.7%, compared to 5.2% for women. The number of unemployed aged 24-74 account for
75.1% of the estimated number of unemployed in March.

SURVEY -
Romanians fear the economic crisis or corruption more than the COVID-19
pandemic or the outbreak of an armed conflict. It’s one of the findings of the
Security Survey published by the Romanian Academy’s Center for Sociological
Research. According to the survey, 43% of respondents believe Romania has been
a safe country after its NATO accession, while 37% said they felt safe during
the communist period. As regards public confidence in state institutions, 72%
of Romanians put their trust in the Army, followed by the Church with a 57%
share and the Foreign Ministry with 50%.

US -
The United States’ return to the international stage, the response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recovery plan, as well as firm warnings against
Russia and China, were some of the highlights of US president Joe Biden’s first
address to the joint session of Congress. Now, after just 100 days, I can
report to the nation: America is on the move again. Turning peril into
possibility. Crisis into opportunity. Setback into strength, the White House
leader said. According to Radio Romania’s Washington correspondent, Joe Biden
also addressed a message to Russian president Vladimir Putin, insisting that
Russia’s actions will have consequences. (V.P.)

29 April 2021
January 25, 2021

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Restaurants, bars,
cinemas, theatres and gambling outlets will reopen in Bucharest staring today.
All these venues will work at reduced capacity and with limited working hours.
The ease in restrictions follows a drop in the infection rate in the capital
city, to under 3 per thousand inhabitants, thus taking Bucharest out of the red
zone. Meanwhile the vaccination campaign continues. Over 860,000 people have
made appointments so far, of whom over half have already been immunized. The
sixth delivery of over 92,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived earlier today in
airports in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Timişoara. The vaccines will then be
taken to regional centers for storing and administration. On Monday, the Group for
Strategic Communication announced another 1,500 new confirmed cases of COVID-19
and 65 related deaths. 1,000 patients are in intensive care.

COVID-19 IN THE
WORLD – There are over 10 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world
right now and over 2.1 million associated deaths, the latest worldometers.info
update indicates. Meanwhile, the new coronavirus strains discovered in Great
Britain and South Africa continue to spread around the world, and vaccination
campaigns are slowing down after Pfizer reduced its production capacity, thus
affecting its deliveries to European states. EU leaders assure pharmaceutical
companies will observe delivery deadlines under the signed agreements.
Meanwhile authorities in Germany, France, the Netherlands or Belgium are
introducing harsh restrictions. In turn, Spain is facing a third wave of the
pandemic. According to our correspondent on the ground, the regions of Madrid
and Valencia, home to large Romanian communities, are as of today reintroducing
restrictions due to the large number of COVID cases. Restaurants in Valencia
are shut down and the Police in Madrid are using drones to check the observance
of health safety measures. Nearly all regions will be isolated for the next two
weeks. In the United States, President Joe Biden today will sign a decree
reintroducing travel restrictions for citizens from the EU, Great Britain and
Brazil. With this move the new White House leader wants to keep the mutated
strains of COVID away from the United States.

ECONOMY – Romania’s budget is
under a lot of pressure right now, due to the need to observe the 7% deficit
target agreed upon with the European Commission, Romanian Deputy Prime Minister
Dan Barna said on Monday. The Romanian official said the Government is working
on a Reconstruction and Resilience Plan which Romania will advance to the
European Commission, under which our country is due to receive some €30 billion.
On the other hand, the state budget for this year is still under discussion,
and the Government wants to adopt it in the first half of February. The
Government is also due to pass a law providing for a 3% increase in the minimum
wage starting January 2021. In another development, Moody’s financial rating
agency says the Government in Bucharest passed the most restrictive economic
support package in Central and Eastern Europe in the context of the COVID
pandemic. Thus Romania has allotted only 4% of its GDP to economic recovery.
The report also reveals that half of this package accounts for direct measures
or tax breaks or payment deferrals, while the other half represents Government
guarantees.

MEETING – Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is today attending a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers
in Brussels. EU officials, alongside the High Representative for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will exchange views on the EU
strategy for distributing vaccines to third-world countries, developments in
the case of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, prospects of consolidating
trans-Atlantic ties and EU-Turkey relations. Minister Bogdan Aurescu will also
notify his European counterparts regarding progress on setting up the
Euro-Atlantic Resilience Center in Romania. During an informal breakfast
meeting, EU Foreign Affairs Ministers will also tackle EU-UK relations in terms of
foreign policy and security, considering the withdrawal of Great Britain from
the community bloc on January 1, 2021.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The
unemployment rate stood at 3.38% in December 2020, up by 0.06% compared to the
previous month and by 0.41% compared to December 2019, the National Employment
Agency reports. The total number of unemployed was close to 300,000, two thirds
of them reported in the rural area. People without studies and those with basic
training account for the largest share in the number of unemployed.

SUMMIT – World leaders are
today meeting online in the first summit devoted to protecting the planet
against climate change. The summit focuses on the effects of climate change.
The previous such summits were devoted to combating the causes of climate
change, carbon gas emissions in particular. The event is aimed at reducing the
vulnerability of state in the face of rising sea levels, a surge in extreme
weather phenomena and food shortages all over the world.

PORTUGAL – Portugal on Sunday
elected the moderate Conservative Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa as its new president,
after a ballot held with the strict observance of COVID-related health safety
measures. According to AFP, the current president, a 72-year-old law professor,
earned public recognition as a TV sports commentator. Sousa won 60.7% of the
vote, according to partial results covering nearly all constituencies. In his
victory speech, President Sousa promised he would make it his priority to
combat the COVID pandemic. (V. Palcu)

25 January 2021