Romania’s labour market in 2025 was marked by caution, with employers showing a clear preference for on-site work and only tentative steps towards salary transparency, according to the annual Review & Trends report released by eJobs.
More than 95% of the jobs posted on the platform last year required physical presence at the office, while remote opportunities reached their lowest level in recent years. Only around 10,000 roles, or roughly 4% of the total, were advertised as remote. Despite this limited supply, competition was intense: remote jobs attracted 1.4 million applications, accounting for 13% of all applications recorded in 2025.
At the same time, employers began preparing for the implementation of the European directive on pay transparency, expected to take effect in mid-2026. In 2025, approximately 102,000 eJobs ads included salary information, representing around 40% of all positions posted. While this signals progress, the pace remains moderate, suggesting many employers are still adjusting internally before fully embracing the new requirements.
Overall, 2025 saw a decline of about 10% in the number of new jobs compared to 2024, yet the market remained active. More than 260,000 jobs were posted between January and December, reflecting a relatively stable monthly dynamic, with the exception of the final months of the year.
“2025 was one of the most turbulent years in the recent history of the labour market. Hiring slowed compared to the previous year due to an unstable macroeconomic context and the many changes and uncertainties we faced locally. Despite high unpredictability, the number of new jobs did not fluctuate significantly from month to month, except towards the end of the year, when employers visibly slowed recruitment while waiting for a more stable 2026,” said Bogdan Badea.
Retail remained the most active sector in terms of hiring, with nearly 60,000 jobs posted. Call centre and BPO roles ranked second, climbing two positions compared to the previous year, with 37,000 openings. Services followed closely with 35,000 new jobs. Other sectors with significant hiring activity included the food industry, transport and logistics, manufacturing, tourism and HoReCa, construction, banking, and telecom. Compared to 2024, transport and logistics, manufacturing, and banking recorded growth in the number of available roles.
Most job openings targeted entry-level candidates with up to two years of experience, mid-level professionals with two to five years of experience, and candidates with no prior experience. Demand for senior specialists and managers declined, partly due to lower mobility within this group. “In their case, we are even seeing a phenomenon of job hugging, where people hold on to their current roles not out of loyalty, but out of fear of losing their jobs in a market where finding new opportunities is becoming increasingly difficult,” Badea explained.
From a geographic perspective, the highest number of hires were recorded in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Brașov, Ilfov, Timișoara, and Ploiești. Candidate interest in these cities increased compared to 2024, supported by an influx of new users. In 2025, around 305,000 new candidate accounts were created on the platform.
Application volumes also rose, reaching a total of 11 million, up nearly 10% year on year. While the first half of the year showed relatively steady dynamics, activity accelerated from September onwards, with September, October, and November emerging as the most active months in terms of applications.
Retail, services, call centre and BPO, banking, IT and telecom, tourism and HoReCa, the food industry, and transport and logistics attracted the most applications overall. Compared to 2024, interest increased in services, banking, food processing, and manufacturing, while sectors such as call centre and BPO, IT and telecom, transport and logistics, and construction saw a decline in candidate interest.
Taken together, the data point to a labour market that remained active but cautious in 2025, shaped by employers’ preference for on-site work, gradual moves towards pay transparency, and heightened uncertainty that influenced both hiring strategies and candidate behaviour.