The rate of new employments in Romanian companies dropped by 75 percent on the year in 2009, because of the economic crisis, while dismissals septupled, according to a survey by consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Furthermore, the crisis brought resignations down from 18.3 percent in 2008 to 8 percent in 2009, according to the PwC Saratoga Romania 2010 survey.

"Romanian companies have a lower rate of internal recruitment - 1.3 percent compared to the European average of 4.3 percent. This indicator shows a significant decrease as compared to the 2008 level, when Romanian internal recruitment rate was 11.1 percent, which means that companies have sought to maintain their existing labor force, but have also significantly reduced the number of promotions or lateral movements within the firm," said Peter de Ruiter, Tax and Legal Services Leader, PwC Romania.

"Decreasing of revenue and lack of promotion opportunities influenced employees' morale, a fact that results in higher absenteeism, lower engagement rate and an increase in unproductive behaviors", he added.  A high rate of absenteeism (12 percent) was noted among managers in the financial system.

The companies from the consumer goods sector reported the lowest revenue per full time employee, a lower remuneration level compared to other industry sectors and a low rate of engagement, as expressed by the high absence rate (4.2 percent for the entire sector).

On the other hand, telecom and technology companies posted the highest revenue per full time employee, which counterbalanced the high costs per employee. This sector is also characterized by a low absenteeism rate (just 3.2 percent), as well as an above average rate of staff fluctuations, especially among specialists (14.3 percent).

The survey uses data collected from 58 companies active on four economic sectors, namely telecom, industry, durable goods and financial services.

Mediafax