More than 500,000 unemployed in Romania in 2025, potential additional labor force exceeded 200,000

In 2025, the number of ILO unemployed persons reached 500,300, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

The share of underemployed persons in the total active population was 0.9% in 2025, down by 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year. The underemployed are those working part-time and who wish and are available to work more hours than they currently do.

The potential additional labor force totaled 204,500 people, a decrease of 8.6% compared to the previous year. This comprises inactive people seeking employment but not available to start work, and inactive people who are not seeking employment but are available to start work.

Of those included in the potential additional labor force, 199,200 people were available to start work but were not seeking employment. In 2025, the share of this category relative to the active population was 2.4%.

In 2025, 75,400 employed people working part-time wanted and were available to work more hours than they currently did and were therefore considered underemployed. This category accounted for 0.9% of the active population, 1.0% of the employed population, and 40.1% of all part-time workers. Compared to the previous year, the number of underemployed persons decreased by 12,100.

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