CONAF: Romanias labour market is stratified and lacks long-term strategy

 Romania's labour market is confronted not only with a major workforce deficit, but also with a stratification unrelated to economic competitiveness and lacking a medium and long-term strategic direction, President of the National Confederation for Women's Entrepreneurship (CONAF) Cristina Chiriac told a specialised conference on Wednesday."The labour market in any country represents a pillar of development. One of the main projects we organised at the CONAF is called the Pact for Labour. In 2019, at a debate we held at the time, the Minister of Labour acknowledged the workforce deficit Romania faced then and increased the contingent of working personnel, not necessarily qualified, by around 50,000 even during that debate," Chiriac said at an event hosted by the International Work Finder, an agency placing workers from outside the EU.In her view, the current problem is not only the shortage of workforce, but also the way the market is structured."I cannot say that the workforce deficit is the biggest problem of the labour market, but I observe something extremely clear: stratification. The labour market is stratified at the moment, but it is not a stratification based on competitiveness nor a strategic stratification," the CONAF president said.She underscored that the Romanian economy does not base its employment policy on competitive industries that could contribute significantly to Gross Domestic Product.According to her, public policies are built predominantly on a short-term basis, without a clear projection of outcomes.The CONAF president also drew attention to the gaps compared with other European states in terms of digitalisation and social policies.She pointed out that Romania primarily imports unskilled labour for low-competitiveness industries, while the shortage of qualified personnel remains unresolved.In this context, she highlighted school dropout rates, the lack of craftsmen and deficits in strategic sectors.Cristina Chiriac added that Romania is at a turning point, and the effectiveness of the legislative framework will depend on how it is designed and implemented."If a legislative framework is not crafted correctly the first time, it will take longer to correct than to improve what can already work today," she warned.The International Work Finder, together with Govnet, organised an event for the business community focusing on the most significant legislative changes affecting the labour market in 2026.