Nepal, Sri Lanka and India, top 3 countries supplying foreign labor to Romania in 2025

The top three countries supplying foreign labor to Romania this year are Nepal, with 18,772 workers, followed by Sri Lanka, with 6,295 workers, and India, with 3,445 workers, according to Chief Commissioner Daniel Titirigi, Director of the Migration Directorate within the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI).   “I have here a statistical situation for the main 10 countries that provide labor force on the territory of Romania. We would have Nepal in first place, with 18,772 people, Sri Lanka, by a large margin, 6,295, then India – 3,445, Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, Turkey, Ethiopia, Philippines. We are talking about those for whom employment permits were requested this year”, stated Titirigi, at the conference “Foreign workers in Romania: realities and good practices”.   In another vein, the chief commissioner showed that there is no worrying data regarding the non-compliance with the legislation in the field by foreign employees or employers.   “We have contravention sanctions applicable for the lack of an employment or posting notice or the lack of an employment and posting notice, including without having a valid employment contract. There are two contravention sanctions provided for by Government Ordinance 25/2014 on the employment and posting of foreigners on the territory of Romania. We have 404 contravention sanctions committed between 01.01.2024 and 30.06.2025. So, compared to the number of people coming to Romania and the number of employers in Romania that use the workforce, I appreciate that it is not a high number for these acts. Also, the failure by foreign citizens to announce the modification of the relationships regarding the termination or suspension of the legal relationship – we have 148 contravention sanctions and, also, for the failure to communicate data by employers or foreigners – 130 contravention sanctions. As Therefore, I wouldn’t say that these are worrying figures from the perspective of compliance with the legislation by foreigners or by employers,” he said.   In 2025, the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) has issued over 42,500 work permits for foreign nationals so far, in addition to permits for changing employers or job positions.   “As of now, for 2025 alone, the General Inspectorate for Immigration has issued 42,511 initial work permits. Furthermore, we have issued 6,474 permits for changes of employer and 683 for job changes, bringing the total number of permits issued this year to 49,668,” said Chief Commissioner Daniel Titirigi, Director of the Migration Directorate within IGI.   The sharp rise in labor demand across sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and services has led Romanian employers to increasingly rely on non-EU workers, as local workforce availability continues to fall short. According to official IGI data, by the end of 2024, over 140,640 non-EU nationals were legally employed in Romania.   The majority came from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and India, primarily working in manufacturing (29,141), construction (28,538), retail (20,008), hospitality (18,844), and administrative and support services (12,189).   According to the Romanian Federation of Labor Importers (PIFM), this number still reflects only part of the actual labor market demand, which remains significantly higher and unmet. Despite this, for the second year in a row, the annual quota for 2025 remains capped at 100,000 permits. Over 60% of these are allocated to jobs in agriculture, construction, cleaning, and goods handling—fields where Romanian employers face the greatest recruitment challenges.