A national minimum wage of RON 4,325 gross a month from 1 July 2026 and shortages of IT specialists, engineers, nurses, builders, drivers and cooks. Find out where to look for a job in Romania, how to apply in Romanian and what to do in your first weeks.
Romania is a country of 19.0 million people (2026 estimate) with an employment rate well below the EU average: 69.0% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%).
Unemployment was 5.6% in 2022 and 2023 and 5.4% in 2024, then rose to 6.1% in 2025 – just above the EU average of 6.0%. Young people find it much harder: youth unemployment is 26.1% among people aged 15–24, compared with 15.2% in the EU, and it has gone up from 22.8% in 2022.
As an EU citizen you do not need a work permit – you can work in Romania for an employer or as self-employed, on the same terms as Romanians. For most jobs you need Romanian: CVs are normally written in Romanian, and your employment contract will be in Romanian too.
Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.
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