Category: Working in Romania

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    27% of
    the Romanian managers are concerned with the labour shortage reported in the
    first half of the year, according to a Confidex survey conducted by Impetum
    Group. This is 16% more than the level reported at the end of lui 2022. The
    labour shortage seems to become one of the main concerns for the business
    environment, overtaking other worrying issues such as the inflation rate and
    price rises, which were a concern for almost half of the managers interviewed
    at the end of last year, the polling company said. One solution to this
    problem, according to some managers, is to integrate public sector employees in
    the private system and to import human resources from other countries. But the
    latter has proved complicated, given that Romania is not an attractive country
    for immigrant workers, so employee retention is a challenge in itself, the
    survey authors also pointed out. The Confidex survey aims to provide a clear
    image of the perceptions of business people in Romania, with more than 2,500
    entrepreneurs and company executives taking part in the 8 editions of the poll
    so far.


    The
    biggest problem facing construction companies in Romania at present has to do
    with the workforce, an IBC Focus report reads. Over 75% of the constructions
    entrepreneurs say they still struggle with labour shortages, and only 11% of
    the respondents say they have enough employees and well trained people in their
    teams. Nearly 58% of the participants in the poll said they were interested in increasing
    their personnel numbers in the coming year. Also, one in 3 constructions
    companies in Romania currently uses foreign workers, as opposed to 1 in 4
    companies last year. The authors of the poll argue that the number of companies
    adjusting to the labour market and defining procedures for employing foreign
    workers is growing, and some 20% of the construction companies in Romania are
    looking at the option of hiring foreign nationals.



    Another survey, conducted by Deloitte, indicates
    that 41% of the companies operating in Romania which say they cannot find
    enough staff are facing a shortage of skills required for the current business
    systems, which is why companies increasingly resort to so-called workforce
    eco-systems, which involve the identification and management of new types of
    human resources, such as consultants, freelancers, contractors or outsourcing, in
    addition to traditional workforce consisting of full time or part time
    employees. The Deloitte report also indicates that, for companies in Romania,
    the benefits of a workforce eco-system comprising several different types of
    human resources and managed through customized strategies and processes include
    improved financial performance for 41% of the respondents and better personnel
    retention for 29% of the respondents. Taking part in the latest edition of the Global
    Human Capital Trends report, conducted by Deloitte on a yearly basis, were
    around 10,000 respondents from 105 countries, including Romania.




    More than 4,000 foreign nationals were found
    staying in Romania illegally in the first 9 months of this year, the General
    Immigration Inspectorate announced. In January – September, the police
    conducted nearly 13,000 checks and inspections aimed at preventing and fighting
    the illegal stay and unregistered employment of foreign nationals in Romania. Local
    employment inspectorate employees also took part in these actions. Some 9,000
    fines were issued for the violation of the legal and employment status of
    foreigners, and around 3,200 people were issued return decisions. Another 1,000
    were escorted out of the country, and 960 others were taken into custody until
    their repatriation. (AMP)

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    Police
    workers with the General Immigration Inspectorate, jointly with regional
    employment inspectorates, are implementing a campaign between October 16 and
    20, aimed at updating foreigners who study in Romania on the terms for a
    possible employment in the country as well as on their rights and obligations
    as employees here. The campaign takes place in universities across the country.
    According to the General Immigration Inspectorate, as many as 17,615 foreign
    nationals are studying in Romania, most of them from the R. Moldova, Morocco
    and Israel, enrolled mostly in Bucharest, Iaşi, Cluj and Timiş.


    Romania
    has the highest employment rate in the EU in agriculture, forestry and
    fisheries, according to data made public by the EU statistics office, Eurostat.
    The largest employers in this respect are in the counties of Vaslui, 61.7%, and
    Neamţ, 51.4%. Eight out of the 10 regions in the EU with the highest
    employment rates in these sectors are in Romania. Iaşi County, also in the
    north-east of the country, had the highest number of employees in 2020 – 146,200,
    followed by 4 other regions in Romania, with over 100,000 employees each. Only
    2 other regions in the EU were included in the top 10 employers in agriculture,
    forestry and fisheries, namely Sandomiersko-jędrzejowski in Poland and Almería in
    Spain.



    Europe
    is struggling with an acute workforce shortage, and the solution is to improve
    youth skills, said the executive director of the European Labour Authority,
    Cosmin Boiangiu at the European Business Forum held in Timişoara, western
    Romania. Boiangiu emphasized that there are imbalances between countries in
    terms of employment rates, and that workers from third countries are being
    brought into Europe in order to offset this shortage. There is high demand for
    workforce in sectors such as health care, IT, constructions and transports. Manpower
    is much needed and we are seeing this in Romania as well, to a growing extent,
    the ELA chief said. He also added that EU authorities are interested in
    implementing a number of strategies concerning labour mobility and flexibility,
    and one of the solutions is for employment to be based on skills, rather than
    on the work experience or the education level.



    The
    number of foreign employees in Cluj County rose by 3,000 in the first 9 months
    of this year, the General Immigration Inspectorate announced. According to the
    institution, between January 1 and September 30, Cluj immigration police issued
    over 3,400 stay permits, 640 of them for Sri Lanka nationals, 544 for Nepal
    citizens, 363 for Indian nationals, 242 for Bangladesh citizens, and the others
    for citizens from other countries. 806 registration certificates and 96
    permanent residence cards were also issued to EU citizens. During the same
    period, 2,851 documents were issued for permanent and posted workers. As for
    illegal residents, during this period 541 inspections were conducted, with the
    police identifying 44 foreigners staying here illegally. (AMP)

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    The Ukrainian refugees in Romania will benefit from humanitarian assistance from the Romanian state until March 2024, the Romanian government established through an emergency ordinance. The draft ordinance approved by the Executive provides for the extension of the period for granting this aid from the end of 2023 until March 31, 2024. The amount, conditions and mechanism for granting lump sums have remained unchanged, and the financing will be made from European funds. According to the Romanian government, in June the European Commission launched a call for projects for Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, with funding from the thematic Facility of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2021-2027. The total budget allocated by Brussels to this call is 50 million euros, and the deadline is October 13. At the same time, the Commission conditions the submission of calls on the existence of a clearly defined national legislative framework, regarding the method of granting lump sums for the year 2024 as well. Under these conditions, the Romanian government says, it was necessary for Romania to have the legal framework, at the primary level, which would allow the granting of support in the form of lump sums to cover accommodation costs for foreign citizens and stateless persons coming from the armed conflict zone in Ukraine.



    The number of requests for extending the right of residence of foreign citizens on the territory of Romania has increased as a result of the increase in the demand for labor force, said the main police inspector Marian State, from the Immigration Service of the Timiş County Police Inspectorate. The main fields in which the applicants work are hotels and restaurants, delivery and constructions. Since the beginning of the year, 640 such requests have been registered from citizens of the European Union, mostly from Italy, Germany and France. Marian State showed that the majority of those who come from the European intra-community space are pensioners who left the country at some point and renounced their Romanian citizenship, and now they want to regain it or (renounced it) after marriage. In addition to these, there are also about 2,000 students. In the first nine months of this year, around 4,500 residence permits for various purposes and 1,280 employment permits were issued at the Timiş Immigration Service, in western Romania. Most applicants for residence permits come from Nepal (915), Sri Lanka (595), Serbia (391), the Republic of Moldova (373) and India (235). However, 529 requests were rejected and in 96 cases, return decisions were issued with a deadline for voluntary departure from the territory of Romania in 15 or 30 days for cases of stay and refusal to extend the right of stay as a result of its cancellation or at request. At the same time, 80 foreigners were detected in illegal situations and were fined over 89,000 lei. Last but not least, 484 escorted return decisions were issued following the completion of the asylum procedure and the risk of avoidance.



    The labor force deficit in Romania could reach 224,000 people in 2026, in the absence of immediate measures, compared to an estimated level of 145,000 people in 2022, said Alex Milcev, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania. Milkev said that this is an extremely conservative figure and that it can easily reach 500,000 or even 600,000 people missing from the labor market. “The labor force deficit in Romania is large and significantly affects the ability of the national economy to grow in the future”, the AmCham official said. He presented the data of an analysis of the economic impact of the labor shortage in Romania, carried out by PwC. According to the report, the economic impact of the labor force shortage, for the year 2022, defined as the loss of productivity, is estimated at 4.4 billion euros or the equivalent of 10% of last years GDP growth. This amount, says Alex Milcev, will double by 2026 and will reach 9.5 billion euros, in the absence of certain measures. He emphasized, however, that a quick remedy would be to attract more labor force from abroad, especially from outside the European Union. (LS)

  • Romanian competent aid for Ukrainian refugees

    Romanian competent aid for Ukrainian refugees


    The Workshops without Frontiers Association this past weekend organized a Jobs market for Ukrainian refugees. The event was hosted by the Viilor Economic College in Bucharest. Among other things, participants were offered help in composing their CVs and letters of intention. Also available were interpreters/translators for those Ukrainian refugees who were in need of that, as well as mediations between candidates and employers.



    The Workshops without Frontiers Association has made public the fact that they were among the first such associations to have accepted the employment of refugees from Ukraine, in their own workshops but also via a string of services meant to facilitate the refugees access to jobs in Romania. In 2022, the Association organized free-of-charge Romanian language courses for 224 people, as well as workshops focusing on facilitating the understanding of the legal framework of the work environment in Romania. The Association also organized CV writing workshops, labor market counselling and assessment activities, but also community events for the Ukrainian refugees. The aforementioned event was part of a project financed by the United Nations High Command for Refugees. The event was carried with the support from Ilfov Countys Employment Agency.



    The Municipality of Brasov, a city located in central Romania on October the 2nd inaugurated a services hub for the refugees from Ukraine. Involved in the undertaking were 10 associations or foundations from across Brasov municipal city. Attending the event was the representative in Romania of the United Nations High Command for Refugees, Pablo Zapata. The associations involved in the hub labelled KATYA offer educational services for children, support for the job seekers as well as mental health assistance and psycho-social support. Also, the associations provide facilitators for translations in the case of the Ukrainian refugees who intend to access healthcare services in Romania. The hub is a project of Brasov Metropolitan Agency for Sustainable Development Hub-ul, carried in partnership with the Terre des Hommes Foundation in Romania. The hub has the support of the United Nations High Command for Refugees. As present, KATYA has roughly 500 beneficiaries. The Ukrainian citizens who need the services of the hub can ask for help or additional info accessing an email address, at katyahub@metropolabrasov.ro.



    Tulcea County Employment Agency, in the south-east, on September 27 staged an event themed The Entrepreneurial and digital competencies in the context of todays labor market current demands. The event targeted a group of 13 Ukrainian high-school students from the town of Izmail. Accompanying and guiding the group of high-school students was an information, communication and selection officer of Suceava Cross-Border Regional Cooperation Office. As part of the event, the young pupils got info on the free-of-charge services offered by the Tulcea County Employment Agency, for job seekers. Basically, the information focused on the required labor market competencies, with a view to enhancing productivity and providing decent jobs, as well as on the importance of entrepreneurial and digital skills. Also, the pupils visited the entrepreneurial consultancy Centre and were given detailed info on howe to access and use the CREDA-DEBUS portal. CREDA -DEBUS is a communication platform providing info on the improvement of quality and access to entrepreneurial education. CREDA-DEBUS seeks to develop at least 75 business plans, for a 12-month timeframe.



    Border policemen in western Romanias Timis County this past weekend stopped nine citizens of Nepal and Pakistan, in their attempt to illegally cross the Romanian-Serbian border. Aged 25 to 46, the foreign citizens trespassed the Romanian territory having a work permit, yet they stated they intended to reach western Europe. The case is definitely not a one-of-a-kind one. On September 29, Timis County border policemen caught other 11 citizens from Nepal and Egypt, aged 22 to 38, in their attempt to cross Romanias Serbian border illegally. Just as in the aforementioned illegal border crossing case, those citizens had entered Romanian territory illegally having work permits, yet they intended to reach countries in Western Europe.



    Every week, dozens of foreign workers arriving in Romania and having a labour contract are caught at the countrys western border, in their attempt to flee Romania illegally. They are detained for fraudulent crossing of state border. In such cases, legal sentences range from a fine to imprisonment from 6 month to 3 years.




  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    The Ukrainian citizens who want to get jobs in Romania
    do not need an employment permit for 12 months, which can be extended
    subsequently. They are only required to get registered with the local
    employment agencies, and they have the same employment rights as the Romanian
    citizens, the National Employment Agency announced.


    Through its local offices, the institution provides
    the Ukrainian nationals registered in its records a number of free of charge
    services. These include professional guidance and information on the Romanian
    labour market, on the latest developments in terms of professions, advice for
    job seekers and assistance during the job induction process.


    The National Employment Agency (ANOFM) connects
    employers with job seekers and offers the latter free of charge professional
    training schemes in order to improve and diversify their skills and facilitate
    their mobility and integration in the labour market. The Agency also assesses
    and certifies the professional skills gained in formal and informal contexts
    for those who are not certified in specific areas.


    Not least, the institution provides EURES assistance
    to the Ukrainian nationals who arrive in Romania, so that they may find jobs in
    the EU and the European Economic Area. These services include the provision of
    information on the EU labour market; information on working and living
    standards in the EU and EEA member countries, information on the EURES European
    and national portal, on vacancies across the EU, on mobility schemes and
    similar assistance and financial support programmes.


    According to the Agency, by September 18 as many as 19,349
    Ukrainian nationals had registered with local employment offices in order to
    benefit from these services. The largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees are
    reported in Bucharest (4,722), Constanța (4,604), Ilfov, near the capital city
    (1,561), Brașov (1,259), Maramureș (1,135), Suceava (733), Cluj (628), Galați
    (604), Iași (584) and Sibiu (538). Thanks to the Agency’s work, 1,815 Ukrainian
    citizens have been employed in the past few months, and 518 employers have
    expressed their willingness to hire Ukrainian nationals, announcing 5,223 vacancies
    for them as well.


    Most jobs available for Ukrainian nationals are for
    unskilled workers in various industries such as textiles or constructions, or
    in the hospitality sector. The professions of the Ukrainian citizens who came
    to Romania range from unskilled workers in the steel industry, constructions,
    the automotive industry and hospitality, to musicians, teachers, translators,
    architects, IT and administrative staff. (AMP)