Single platform developed by the Government for foreign workers employed in Romania

The Government intends to manage the access of foreign workers to Romania’s labor market through a single national platform, according to a draft emergency ordinance reviewed during Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, Agerpres reports. The document, currently in its first reading, aims to simplify procedures and shorten approval times amid a nationwide labor shortage, according to an official statement.

The WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform will enable the management of foreign workers’ access to the Romanian labor market in a “transparent, secure, and digitalized” manner.

A list of shortage occupations will also be introduced, to be approved by government decision and updated twice a year based on data provided by ANOFM/INS and consultations with social partners.

The draft also предусматриes the creation of a financial deposit, a mandatory “preventive protection” mechanism designed to cover repatriation costs, support workers in vulnerable situations, and pay contraventional fines applied to recruitment agencies that fail to meet their legal obligations.

The initiators also propose standardizing the main types of contracts: service provision contracts, tripartite placement contracts, and individual employment contracts.

The “employer pays” principle will also be introduced, prohibiting the charging of commissions, fees, guarantees, or deposits to workers, a measure that aligns national legislation with the standards of the International Labour Organization and the OECD.

“Over the past decade, the number of newly admitted foreign workers to Romania’s labor market has increased from 5,500 in 2015–2016 to 100,000 in the 2022–2025 period. For this year, a quota of 90,000 foreign workers has been set,” the Government’s statement notes.

Government spokesperson Ioana Dogioiu announced on Thursday that the emergency ordinance on foreign workers’ access to the labor market is set to be adopted at a future Cabinet meeting.