More than 23,000 non-residents from outside the European Union were allowed to stay in Romania and given working permits in 2019, most of whom are from Vietnam, Turkey, Nepal and China, according to data received by Economica.net from the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI).

The number of non-EU workers legally employed in Romania is at least twice as high as at the end of 2018 and at least triple compared to the end of 2017 and 2016, Economica.net concluded based on data received from the IGI.

Over 5,200 (22% of total) of the foreign citizens with working permits in Romania are from Vietnam, over 2,800 people are from Turkey, and almost 2,200 people are from Nepal.

In 2019, the Government allowed employers to bring at most 30,000 new workers from outside the EU, the largest number since 2014, in response to the local labor shortage.

During 2019, there were 97,000 vacancies that the companies were not able to fill. This is 50% more than in 2018.

“Outside Romania, Asia remains the only supplier of labor for construction. From the moment they are recruited until they get to Romania, it takes about three to four months. However, this is a fringe solution, to repair the situation of the construction personnel,” said Adriana Iftime, the general director of the Federation of Construction Companies (FPSC), quoted by Ziarul Financiar.

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editor@romania-insider.com