A report from the National Observatory for Employment and Vocational Training, published in May 2007, finds a high level of dissatisfaction among young Romanian workers about their current employment and earning opportunities. Over a quarter of young people aged 18–24 years consider moving abroad to improve their employment prospects, while also being aware of both the positive and negative aspects of such a move.
About the report
A report by the National Observatory for Employment and Vocational Training (Observatorul Naţional al Ocupării şi Formării Profesionale a Forţei de Muncă, ONOFP) (RO0803019I), entitled Current issues related to the young population of Romania (in Romanian, 330 Kb PDF), was published on the website of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Equal Opportunities (Ministerul Muncii, Familiei şi Egalităţii de Şanse, MMFES) in May 2007. It draws on information from scientific papers presented at a conference on ‘The paradox of unemployment among youth in 2007 – the year of accession to the European Union and the European Year of Equal Opportunities’. The conference was held by the National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and Social Protection (Institutul Naţional de Cercetare Ştiinţifică în domeniul Muncii şi Protecţiei Sociale, INCSMPS) in March 2007.
Main findings
The report’s main findings are summarised under the following headings.
Young people’s expectations
One of the papers presented in the report, ‘Romanian youth’s attitude towards work (Atitudinea tinerilor din România faţă de muncă)’ by Andra-Bertha Sănduleasa of INCSMPS, provides secondary analysis of data from a study on ‘The status of youth and their expectations. Diagnosis 2006 (Situaţia tineretului şi aşteptările sale. Diagnoză 2006)’. The latter study was based on a survey of a sample of 1,103 people aged 15 to 23 years. It finds that only 11% of respondents thought that work is the prime component for success in life. According to the author, this indicates their lack of confidence that work can secure welfare.
The survey responses of young people with at least three years’ experience of employment indicate that:
- more than one third of them (35%) were dissatisfied with their current pay;
- the average monthly salary they hoped for was between €300 and €500;
- only 16.5% of them were ‘pleased’ or ‘very pleased’ with their current working conditions;
- the most popular jobs among them were in information technology (IT), marketing and sales, human resources, and industrial and art design.
Propensity to migrate
It appears from the report that many young people believe that ‘it is better abroad’. Some 27% of respondents to the survey on young people’s status and their expectations were considering job-seeking abroad in the next three years, while only 21% thought that they had better chances of success in Romania.
Of those who planned to leave the country, 48% would do so to work on a temporary basis, 21% to complete their studies and 8% to settle abroad.
Another study quoted in the ONOFP report, ‘Young population emigration – a chance for them or a risk for Romania (Emigraţia în rândul tinerilor – o şansă pentru ei sau un risc pentru România)’ by Eva Militaru of INCSMPS, claims that 40% of people below the age of 25 years wish to emigrate, with rates of 35.9% in urban areas and 46.6% in rural areas.
This study was based on data from the Rural Eurobarometer and Urban Romania surveys conducted by the Soros Foundation Romania (Fundaţia Soros Romania). ‘Urban Romania’ comprised a survey of a representative population sample for urban areas of 2,195 respondents, some 262 of whom were aged 18 to 24 years. The survey was carried out between July 2005 and April 2006. ‘Rural EuroBarometer’ was a survey of a representative population sample for rural areas of 1,995 respondents, 125 of whom were aged 18 to 24 years. The survey was conducted in November and December 2005.
Positive and negative aspects of emigration
The Romanian labour market offers jobs to only 1% of higher education graduates each year, which explains their frequent wish to emigrate. The report finds that labour emigration is perceived by young people as having both positive and negative aspects.
In terms of positive aspects, young people believe that labour migration results in better earnings, giving them the chance to save and invest money. Moreover, it opens the door to professional and cultural achievement.
The negative aspects of labour emigration include differential and, sometimes, even discriminatory, treatment in employment abroad; for instance, employers’ failing to fulfil contractual obligations, possible resentment from local workers and receiving social security conditions below the standards promised at recruitment interviews. Moreover, adaptation problems may arise which impair young people’s work performance.
Luminiţa Chivu, Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy