In 2020, in the EU, 9 in 10 people aged 15-19 years were still in education (89.5%). The older the age group, the smaller the proportion of young people in education: 49.5% of people aged 20-24 years, 14.4% of people aged 25-29 years and 4.8% of those aged 30-34 years were in education in 2020. Share of employment among students: highest in the Netherlands and lowest in Slovakia and Romania The pace of transition from school to the labour market varies across EU Member States, due to the influence of national systems of education and training, as well as other factors including national labour market characteristics and cultural determinants. In some countries, young people start working much earlier than in others, e.g. in the form of student jobs or paid traineeships. In 2020, 18.4 % of people aged between 15-24 years in the EU were in education and at the same time employed, while 2.5% of the same age group were in education but unemployed, looking for a job while studying. When compared with 2019, the number of people aged between 15-24 years who were in education and employed at the same time decreased by 3% (from 6.1 million in 2019 to 5.9 million in 2020). Meanwhile, the number of people aged between 15-24 years in education and unemployed at the same time increased by 16% (from 0.7 million in 2019 to 0.8 million in 2020). Among the EU Member States, the Netherlands had the highest share of pupils and students aged between 15-24 years that were employed while still in education in 2020 (57.8%), followed by Denmark (45.8%), Germany (38.7%) and Austria (35.2 %). In contrast, the lowest shares of employment among pupils and students aged 15-24 were found in Croatia and Hungary (both 3.3%), Italy (3.0%), Slovakia and Romania (both 2.5%). The highest share of pupils and students aged 15-24 who were unemployed (meaning that they were looking for a job and ready to start to work while studying) was recorded in Sweden (12.1%), followed by Finland (9.5%), Denmark and the Netherlands (both 6.3%). On the other hand, in Slovenia, Italy, Romania, Czechia and Croatia, less than 1% of pupils and students in that age group were unemployed.
Participation in cultural education activities continues to be limited, with the main barriers being difficult access, insufficient knowledge, and cost, the recently released Cultural Consumption Barometer 2024 shows. The report showed that many Romanians still associate culture with entertainment rather than with personal development or furthering their knowledge. The need for relaxation dominates in cultural […]
Roughly 84% of Romanians say that the pace of the state’s digitalization is slow or very slow, according to an Edge Institute & AtlasIntel study presented at the Digital Governance Summit 2025, which took place on Tuesday, November 25, at the presidential palace in Bucharest. The survey aims to capture the way citizens relate to […]
Romania’s Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) issued a negative opinion on the new bill regarding magistrates’ pensions. The move is only the latest development concerning a heated issue that led to tensions between the executive and the judiciary branch. CSM’s opinion is consultative, and the government led by Ilie Bolojan can still take responsibility for […]
Romania took the presidency of the Central European Initiative (or CEI) on Wednesday, November 26, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). The organization is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe […]
Trade between Romania and Poland continues to grow, with annual bilateral exchanges in goods now valued at more than EUR 12 billion, according to figures presented by the Polish-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PRBCC). The data was released during a reception in Bucharest marking Poland’s Independence Day and Romania’s National Day. Polish investments […]
As Romania moves closer to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, local employers are preparing for one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation in over a decade. The directive, set for transposition by June 2026, introduces strict new rules on salary disclosure, pay reporting, and equal-pay verification, aiming to close persistent gender gaps […]
