The fear of losing their jobs, the rising cost of living and political decisions were the main factors affecting workers in Romania over the past year, to a greater extent than in the other Central and Eastern European countries included in the 2026 edition of PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey: Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Against this background, the workers’ confidence in job security has fallen since last year, and fewer say they intend to change employer in the next 12 months. Motivation, however, remains high, above the regional average.
Almost six in ten respondents (58%) say they pay their bills with little or nothing left over at the end of the month, compared with 50% in 2025 and 52% in the region, while the share struggling to pay their bills has risen from 10% to 17%, close to the regional average. Among workers affected at work by the rising cost of living, 46% say it has increased their stress levels, compared with 34% in the region.
Over the past year, the rising cost of living had the strongest impact, with 71% of workers in Romania reporting a moderate or major impact at work, compared with 56% in the region. It was followed by domestic political decisions (62% vs. 49%), concern about job cuts (61% vs. 50%), and geopolitical conflict (59% vs. 48%). On each of these pressures, Romania records the highest level among the countries analyzed.
Over the next three years, the main perceived threats to job security are economic volatility, conflicts between countries, AI taking on more tasks, and companies relocating work to lower-cost locations. At the same time, confidence in job security has fallen, as has the intention to change employer. The share of workers who are very or extremely confident in their job security fell from 58% in 2025 to 48% in 2026, and the share who say they are very or extremely likely to change employer in the next 12 months fell from 25% to 18%.
Motivation, however, remains high: 73% of workers feel proud of their work at least once a week, compared with a regional average of 64%. In addition, 65% are willing to go above and beyond at least once a week, up from 57% in 2025.
At the same time, 37% of workers say they are very or extremely likely to ask for a pay raise in the next 12 months, and 32% say the same about a promotion. As in previous years, pay and benefits remain the number one priority when workers assess their job, cited among their top three priorities by 65%, followed by job security (53%).
Overall, 42% of respondents feel they are paid fairly relative to the value they contribute. Six in ten workers in Romania (61%) would not accept lower pay or benefits, 47% would not accept less job security, and 44% would not accept longer hours or a faster pace of work, while a negative work culture is a dealbreaker for 34%, compared with 50% globally.
PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2026 was conducted in May and June 2026 among 49,364 workers across 48 countries and regions, including 447 in Romania. Regional comparisons cover Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
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