Romanian employers are increasingly determined to bring employees back to the office – the number of remote jobs is decreasing, while application volume is rising, signaling a fantastic opportunity for employers abroad.
Over the past year, the number of new remote jobs on the Romanian market has declined, after experiencing impressive growth between 2020 and 2022, during which time they accounted for over 10% of the total jobs posted in a given year. However, since 2023, companies have primarily shifted back to office-based or hybrid work models, which require at least three days per week of in-office presence. This year, the number of new remote jobs posted on eJobs.ro has fallen below 5% of the total available positions, more precisely to 4.3%, representing 10,000 available remote jobs on the platform.
“The idea of remote work is no longer a market standard but rather a benefit that a shrinking number of employers offer. This is despite numerous candidate surveys showing a strong desire for the option to work remotely or in a hybrid model, and in some cases, it’s even the primary factor in choosing a job. However, although employers are keen to have more employees working in the office rather than from home, the number of applications for remote jobs has increased, now accounting for 13.7% of all applications,” says Roxana Drăghici, Head of Sales at eJobs.ro, Romania’s leading job board.
During the first 9 months of the year, out of more than 8 million applications registered, 1.2 million were for remote jobs. Around 6.9 million applications were for in-office jobs in Romania, and 115,000 for jobs abroad.
The sectors with the greatest openness to remote work continue to be Call centers/BPO (with half of the total remote jobs posted this year being from call center/BPO employers), IT/Telecom, Services, Retail, Advertising/Marketing/PR, and Insurance. Of these remote positions, 80% are full-time, nearly 20% are part-time, and a marginal percentage is represented by seasonal projects.
“The area where employers are most willing to accept remote work is entry-level positions, with over 70% of these jobs aimed at candidates with a maximum of two years of experience. What we are observing is that as the seniority level of the job increases, the willingness of employers to accept remote work decreases,” explains Roxana Drăghici.
Currently, there are 26,000 job listings available on eJobs.ro, with 1,100 of them being remote.
This shift presents an exciting opportunity for foreign companies to tap into Romania’s talented workforce. While local organizations are increasingly pulling employees back to the office, Romanian professionals are eager to embrace remote work opportunities. This makes Romania a prime market for international employers looking to hire skilled specialists who are not only ready for remote roles but also highly motivated to work in such environments. By offering remote positions, foreign companies can attract top talent from Romania, benefiting from a pool of professionals who may not find enough remote options locally. Get in touch with eJobs to start recruiting the talent you need!