Fewer than 55,000 applications for jobs abroad have been registered by Romanian online recruitment platform eJobs from January to August, accounting for only 0.6% of the total applications on the platform this year. Compared to last year, candidates’ efforts to find a job abroad have decreased by almost 33% and are even half the level reached in 2022 or 2023.
“In recent years, we have seen a constant decline in the number of applications for jobs abroad, even though employers have maintained, at least for a period, a high level of intention to recruit candidates from Romania. There is, however, a paradox regarding applications because Romanians are still very interested in the idea of changing jobs, but are looking almost exclusively for local jobs,” said Roxana Drăghici, Head of Sales at eJobs, Romania’s largest online recruitment platform.
Most of the candidates who are still considering the option of working in another country are between 25 and 35 years old and are from the mid-level segment, meaning they have between 2 and 5 years of experience.
They are followed by those aged between 36 and 45, and only then by candidates at the beginning of their careers (18–24 years old) or those who already have a high level of professional experience and are over 45.
The countries to which most people go are Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Spain, Greece and Cyprus.
“Many countries in this ranking have a very well-developed tourism sector and are looking for candidates especially for the warm season and for those fields that have a peak of activity in summer. This means tourism, HoReCa, the food industry,” said Roxana Drăghici. She also pointed to the high seasonality of the applications.
Other fields that also attract applications are transport/logistics, retail, services, construction and naval/aeronautical.
In addition to the seasonal factor, the decline in interest in relocation is also driven by a change in financial expectations. If a decade ago the salary difference was so large that it compensated for logistical costs or psychological discomfort, candidates now calculate the option of leaving the country in a more nuanced way.
The increase in the cost of living in Western countries, coupled with a gradual alignment of salaries in Romania with European standards, especially in technical and management sectors, has damped Romanians’ enthusiasm to work abroad. Remote working has also contributed to this new reality.
From the beginning of the year until now, 5,600 jobs have been posted by employers outside Romania on eJobs. Most are aimed at candidates who want to work in construction, the food industry, transport/logistics, automotive, services, medical services, manufacturing, naval/aeronautical, and tourism.
(Photo source: Viktoriia Hnatiuk|Dreamstime.com)
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