Despite the pandemic, employers are looking for employees 

Despite the pandemic, all major blue-collar sectors are looking for employees. Companies across the  EU are complaining that they can’t find people to hire, and the shortage of staff is growing 

According to the  National Institute of Statistics in Romania (INS), almost 38,400 vacancies were available in the first quarter of 2021 – up by almost 2,800 from the previous quarter. Most of the jobs sold were in the production and blue-collar industries

In addition, the Romanian National Agency for Employment announced recently that more than 15,000 jobs are vacant across the country. Companies are working closely with the Agency and are looking for unskilled workers, blue-collar infrastructure workers, commercial workers, builders, security guards, drivers and retail-production workers.

However, although many of the existing jobs are for unskilled workers, the payment is not that rewarding for the Romanian local blue-collar workforce who is looking for contractor jobs abroad. As in our agency, many applicants are waiting to go abroad, to work in railway construction or infrastructure projects, for a better-paid job.

In Romania, the unemployment rate was  5.7% in February 2021, according to INS,  translating into approx. half a million people without a job. Many unemployed workers are living in rural communities in the southeast of the country. At the opposite spectrum are the central and western regions, where most companies have resumed production and need new people. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect to see more disruptive labour markets but which will not be fundamentally altered on the longer-term by trends and challenges. Failure to sufficiently invest in skills now may well have implications for how and how quickly many railways or infrastructure companies in Romania will manage to catch up. 

But at a time when many people are acutely feeling the pain of the recession and unemployment, policymakers should take steps to clearly communicate the rationale behind labour migration policies and demonstrate their continued commitment to supporting their residents, both native and foreign born, in this challenging economic environment. That is why our agency works closely with legal advisors in submitting the required documents and meets the standards of the EU A1 form. Our workforce is eager to start working on European infrastructure and railway projects, which can bring them a better standard of living and better salaries than their country of origin.