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The Romanian government expects to grant a total of 100,000 work visas in 2025 in an effort to improve the labour shortages across the Romanian market.
In a draft decision by the Romanian Labour Ministry, the quota of 100,000 new foreign workers is similar to the cap introduced in 2024 and aims at improving the requirements that the Romanian economy has, Schengen.News reports.
To reach this decision, the respective authorities have taken into consideration the current labour shortages, the sectors dealing with insufficient staff members and the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
Romania Granted Over 99,000 Work Permits in 2024
According to data published by the General Inspectorate for Immigration, by the end of 2024, Romanian authorities issued 99,268 work visas, with another 5,957 for the year 2025 yet to be processed.
On the other hand, the same source reveals that in 2023, 101,254 permits were issued, while this number was even higher in 2022 – 108,882 permits were granted, and in 2021, 49,954 permits were issued, showcasing that in 2022, a record number of permits were granted.
It is estimated that there are around 311,000 vacant jobs for workers and, as the Romanian local media reports, in the first ten months of 2024, business owners have increasingly sought workers to fill in these gaps, as these occupations were either not preferred or even refused by Romanian workers.
Foreign Workers Needed Across These Sectors
Labour shortages are most prevalent in certain sectors, which are mainly related to the hospitality industry, among others. Some of the key market sources for foreign workers are recruited from the Asian continent, including countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and India, as well as the Philippines and Egypt.
As per sectors with labour shortages, the construction sector is one of the most affected sectors, requiring some 47,716 workers in order to meet the market demand. Postal and courier services are also included in the list, with 29,293 jobs in this sector remaining unfilled.
Restaurants have around 21,457 open vacancies, while 19,889 workers are needed for contracting activities staff. Protection and guarding activities are around 12,367 jobs short, whereas the road transport of goods and handling could fill in some 9,091 and 6,559 jobs, respectively.
In addition, the retail trade in non-specialized stores, with the predominant sale of food products, beverages and tobacco, has a total of 4,758 jobs unfilled.
Source: https://schengen.news/this-schengen-country-will-issue-100000-work-visas-in-2025/
