Romania Labour Market Trends
Hiring in Romania can feel a little confusing in the beginning. On one hand, you will hear people say there are plenty of workers available, but on the other hand, certain vacancies still sit open for weeks. You might even receive a good number of CVs and still struggle to find candidates who genuinely match the exact skills your site or department needs.
A big reason for this is that Romania does not operate as one single hiring market. The reality changes based on the city you are hiring in, the sector you are hiring for, and the level of experience you need. Once you start looking at Romania through those layers, the situation makes a lot more sense, and planning your hiring strategy becomes much easier and more predictable.
What the numbers hint at
A helpful starting point is the EURES labour market overview for Romania. It highlights that Romania’s employment rate was around 63% in 2023, and it also breaks down differences by gender and youth employment.
On vacancies, Romania has its own official vacancy reporting through the National Institute of Statistics (INSSE). For example, INSSE reported around 31.6 thousand job vacancies in Q3 2025 (with a slight quarterly increase).
At the EU level, Eurostat’s job vacancy statistics ranked Romania among the lowest job vacancy rates in the EU in Q3 2025 (0.6%).
If those figures sound “contradictory,” they are not. They simply show that the market is uneven. Some sectors hire steadily, some slow down, and skill match matters more than raw headcount.
What is driving employer challenges
In day-to-day hiring, these are the issues that show up most often:
Skills mismatch, not only “shortage.”
Romania has a very real mismatch challenge. The OECD’s 2025 review notes persistent skills shortages and mismatches and points out that a large share of workers can be employed in fields different from those for which they were trained.
For employers, this usually shows up as candidates having experience, but not in the exact tools, standards, or environments your role needs.
Medium-skill roles stay important
Cedefop’s 2025 skills forecast for Romania expects that a big share of job openings through 2035 will require medium-level qualifications.
This is one reason technical, hands-on roles still matter so much, even as digital roles grow.
Sector and city differences
Romania’s hiring “feel” changes across regions. A role that is easy to fill in one city can be difficult in another, simply because of local competition, commuting patterns, and the nearby employers.
Where employers usually see pressure
Romania’s toughest hiring tends to appear in roles that need one or more of these:
- hands-on skill (trade, technical operations, maintenance)
- strong reliability (shift discipline, attendance, steady output)
- basic reporting and process following
- experience with safety and site rules
It is rarely about finding “people.” It is about finding people who can perform consistently without heavy re-training.
When working with a recruitment agency helps
Some employers can hire fine on their own, especially for a single role with time to spare. A recruitment partner becomes useful when:
- You are hiring multiple workers and need a repeatable pipeline
- Your roles require skill verification, not just interviews
- You cannot afford late drop-offs after selection
- You want to reduce re-hiring and stabilise teams faster
A good agency does not just send CVs. It keeps the process tight and predictable.
What a good agency actually does in practice
When agencies add real value, you will notice these things:
- Role mapping: turning your requirement into a clear skills checklist, not a vague JD
- Screening for proof: trade testing, practical checks, structured interview scorecards
- Document readiness: checking candidate basics early so you do not lose time later
- Pipeline discipline: weekly shortlisting and follow-up so the vacancy does not drag on
This is the kind of structured approach Oman Agencies focuses on through its manpower supply services and overseas hiring coordination, especially when employers want fewer surprises between selection and joining.
A simple hiring flow that works well in Romania
If you want a process you can repeat, keep it simple:
- Define the job as tasks (what they do daily, tools used, site conditions)
- Shortlist weekly, not one big batch
- Add one skill-proof step (test, task, or practical interview round)
- Confirm documents before final offer
- Keep a backup shortlist active for urgent roles
Success metrics worth tracking
If you want clarity, track these four:
- Time from requirement to shortlist
- interview-to-offer ratio (shortlist quality)
- offer-to-join ratio (drop-off risk)
- 30 to 60-day performance feedback (real fit)
Quick checklist
- Is the job description clear enough that someone can picture a normal day?
- Are you screening skills early, or only after two interview rounds?
- Are documents checked before the selection is final?
- Is your joining timeline realistic with a buffer?
- Do you have a backup shortlist ready?
Wrapping up
Romania’s labour market is not “easy” or “hard” in a single way. It depends on the role, the city, and how clearly you hire. Employers who do well usually keep things simple: define the work properly, test for real skills, move fast once they find the right fit, and keep the process organised.
If you are hiring across multiple roles or want a more predictable pipeline, it helps to work with a partner that runs hiring like a system, not like a one-time event. Official sources such as EURES, INSSE, Eurostat, OECD, and Cedefop are also worth checking from time to time to keep your hiring assumptions grounded.
