If you ask, “What does Romania’s labour market look like?”, the answer depends entirely on where you look.
Consult the National Employment Agency (ANOFM), and you’ll see a market dominated by truck drivers, warehouse operatives, construction workers, security guards, and retail employees.
Open LinkedIn or BestJobs, and you’ll find a different Romania: software engineers, management consultants, project managers, financial analysts, and digital specialists.
Neither view is inaccurate.
They’re measuring different labour markets.
For companies expanding into Romania, investors assessing workforce availability, or recruitment leaders building hiring strategies, understanding this distinction is more valuable than any single employment statistic.
The country’s labour market isn’t fragmented because the data is poor. It’s fragmented because every dataset measures a different layer of the economy.
The Compliance Labour Market
Romania’s National Agency for Employment (ANOFM) maintains the country’s largest public database of job vacancies.
Over the past nine months, we analysed more than 72,500 job postings published through ANOFM, covering every county and major sector.
The headline trend is striking.
Job postings declined by approximately 20%, falling from 9,740 vacancies in September 2025 to 7,719 in July 2026. Total open positions dropped from 40,752 to fewer than 30,000.
At first glance, that appears to signal a cooling labour market.
The reality is more nuanced.
ANOFM is primarily a public employment and compliance platform. Many employers register vacancies there because of administrative obligations or to engage with the public employment system, while relying on private job boards, professional networks, or recruitment agencies to source candidates.
This explains why ANOFM is heavily weighted toward sectors such as:
- Construction
- Logistics
- Warehousing
- Retail
- Hospitality
- Security
- Manufacturing
These industries account for much of Romania’s operational workforce and frequently experience persistent labour shortages.
In other words, ANOFM doesn’t show where the highest salaries are.
It shows where the greatest hiring pressure exists.
Salary Transparency Reveals the Same Pattern
The salary data reinforces this interpretation. More than four out of every five vacancies in the ANOFM dataset contain no salary information whatsoever. Among those that do, the overwhelming majority advertise compensation close to the statutory minimum wage, initially around 4,050 RON gross before increasing to 4,325 RON following the July adjustment.
Viewed without context, this could lead to the conclusion that Romania remains a predominantly low-wage economy. National earnings statistics tell a different story. According to the National Institute of Statistics, the country’s average net monthly salary reached 5,412 RON in February 2026, substantially above the compensation levels visible in public vacancy listings.
The discrepancy is not evidence that either dataset is inaccurate. Rather, it demonstrates that each dataset measures a different segment of the labour market. ANOFM primarily captures occupations characterised by high recruitment volumes and relatively modest wages, whereas national salary statistics reflect the economy as a whole.
The Private Labour Market: Where Competition Happens
The picture changes dramatically once we move beyond public employment data.
Private recruitment platforms such as BestJobs, eJobs, and LinkedIn, along with specialist recruitment firms, dominate hiring for professional and managerial positions.
These platforms are where companies compete for:
- Software engineers
- Project managers
- Financial professionals
- Engineers
- Consultants
- Marketing specialists
- Executives
In July 2026, BestJobs reported that employers contacted three times more candidates than in June, while approximately 400,000 CVs were submitted through the platform.
This surge suggests that employer activity in the private recruitment market can increase even while public vacancy numbers decline.
Far from contradicting ANOFM, it complements it.
One dataset measures formal vacancy registrations.
The other captures competitive talent acquisition.
Why Construction Is the Exception
One sector stands out across both public and private data: construction.
Construction’s share of ANOFM vacancies increased from 16% to 19% over the nine-month period, overtaking the miscellaneous category and reinforcing its position as one of Romania’s largest sources of recruitment demand.
Unlike software development or consulting, construction cannot easily relocate its workforce or automate its labour requirements.
Projects require people on-site.
As infrastructure investment, commercial development, and residential construction continue, demand for skilled and unskilled construction workers remains structurally high.
Construction therefore acts as a bridge between Romania’s two labour markets.
It appears prominently in public employment data because of volume, yet it is also fiercely competitive, with employers increasingly using private recruiters, referrals, and specialist agencies to secure talent.
Two Labour Markets, One Economy
Romania’s labour market should not be viewed as contradictory.
It should be viewed as layered.
| Compliance Labour Market |
Competitive Labour Market |
| ANOFM |
LinkedIn, BestJobs, eJobs |
| High-volume operational roles |
Professional and specialist roles |
| Logistics, construction, retail |
IT, consulting, finance, engineering |
| Public employment registrations |
Active talent competition |
| Reflects hiring demand |
Reflects hiring competition |
Understanding this distinction changes how companies interpret the data.
ANOFM answers: “Where are employers struggling to recruit operational workers?”
Private recruitment platforms answer: “Where are employers competing for specialist talent?”
Neither dataset is complete on its own.
Together, they provide a much richer understanding of Romania’s workforce.
Why This Matters for Foreign Employers
For international companies considering Romania, relying on a single data source can lead to flawed assumptions.
A manufacturer may conclude that labour is abundant because thousands of operational vacancies exist.
A technology company may assume competition is moderate because specialist vacancies appear less visible in public datasets.
Both conclusions could be misleading.
The appropriate hiring strategy depends on the segment of the labour market being targeted.
Operational recruitment requires scale, speed, and workforce availability.
Professional recruitment requires employer branding, competitive compensation, and access to specialist talent networks.
Understanding which labour market you are entering is the first strategic decision.
Looking Ahead: Transparency Will Narrow the Gap
The EU Pay Transparency Directive is expected to increase salary transparency across Member States, and Romania is in the process of implementing the necessary legislative changes.
As disclosure requirements become more widespread, public and private labour market data may begin to converge, offering a more complete view of compensation and hiring dynamics.
Until then, interpreting Romania’s labour market requires context as much as data.
Final Thoughts
Romania does not have one labour market. It has two. The first is visible through ANOFM, where compliance, operational hiring, and persistent labour shortages shape the picture.
The second exists on private recruitment platforms and through specialist agencies, where employers compete for highly skilled professionals in a market defined by salary transparency, employer reputation, and international competition.
Neither tells the whole story.
Together, they reveal a labour market that is far more dynamic, segmented, and strategically important than headline vacancy numbers alone would suggest.
Sources: ANOFM (72,516 postings, Sep 2025–Jul 2026), INS Romania, BestJobs, eJobs, PwC Romania, Economica.net, ZF.ro
