A quarter of Romanians are working in agriculture

Agriculture mobilized 24% of Romania’s work force last year, the highest share in the European Union, according to EU’s statistical office Eurostat. At EU level, agriculture represented only 4.5% of the total employment in 2016. However, Romania also registered the highest drop in the share of people working in agriculture in the last 20 years, of 16.9 percentage points. In 1996, 40.9% of Romania’s occupied population was working in agriculture. In the majority of member states, "wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food services" was the economic activity providing the most employment last year. Romania ranked last in EU for the share of people working in “public administration, defense, education, human health and social work activities”, with 13.6%. However, the share significantly increased from 1996, when only 7.2% of the occupied population was working in this sector. Romania also had the lowest share of people working in the professional, scientific, and technical activities, and administrative and support services, of 4.5%. Romanian Govt. changes law on sale of agricultural land editor@romania-insider.com