Survey: Over half of the Romanians consider changing jobs in 2026

More than half of the Romanians surveyed in the latest poll conducted by eJobs Romania intend to change jobs in 2026, most of them aiming to do so in the first half of the year, according to data from the online recruitment platform.Thus, 40.2% plan to change jobs by mid-year, while 11.7% intend to do so by the end of 2026. At the same time, 23.1% of respondents are currently unemployed and looking for work, 12.2% are seeking a promotion or a change of role with their current employer, while 12.7% say they are not considering any such change.For those prepared to switch jobs, the main factor that could make them reconsider would be a salary increase, mentioned by 31.2%. On the other hand, 33% say their employer could do nothing to persuade them to stay, 9.8% would remain if offered more non-salary benefits, 9.4% if allowed to work remotely and 6.3% if promoted.'Almost 40% told us that their current salary no longer covers the cost of living and the effects of rising inflation. Other reasons behind their decision to change jobs include burnout or working in a toxic environment, the desire to move to a more flexible working model (remote or hybrid), lack of promotion opportunities, or the fact that their current employer is going through a financially difficult period and they feel it does not offer stability,' explained Raluca Dumitra, Head of Marketing at eJobs, in a press release.Indeed, the general state of economic uncertainty is also the biggest professional concern for 2026, cited by nearly 30% of survey participants.At the same time, 26.2% are worried about wage stagnation in relation to rising prices, and 12.1% about the possibility of restructuring or large-scale redundancies in their sector. Some 11.5% fear it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a better job due to strong competition, while 10% feel they can no longer cope with the increasingly fragile work-life balance.Among the changes already announced by employers, respondents mentioned restructuring or reorganisation (15.1%), salary freezes (8.8%), changes to bonus schemes or benefits (5.1%), compulsory return to the office (3.6%) or the integration of AI into daily work processes (3%).In this context, those aiming to change jobs believe the main obstacle they may face in finding new employment will be salary offers below expectations (27.9%). Some 25.4% mention age discrimination, and almost as many (24.4%) believe there are too few positions available in their city or field of activity.While over the past three years remote job offers have been particularly sought after by candidates, this year it appears to be a less important criterion when applying. For half of respondents, the working model (office-based, remote or hybrid) no longer matters if the salary is attractive.If they could choose a single new non-salary benefit for 2026, most respondents (33.3%) would opt for a four-day working week; 24.6% would like a generous budget for courses and professional training, especially in the context of the growing adoption of AI in companies; 16.7% would prefer additional annual leave beyond the statutory minimum; and 8.8% would choose a subscription to mental health services or therapy.The survey was conducted in January on a sample of 950 candidates and employees active on the labour market.The eJobs platform provides free access to tens of thousands of manually verified vacancies. For recruiters and employers, eJobs offers access to a database of over 5 million CVs, as well as a wide range of efficient recruitment solutions.