Government to set up official WorkinRomania platform for foreign workers
The Romanian executive has released a draft emergency ordinance that provides for the creation of the official platform WorkinRomania.gov.ro designed for foreign workers, Economedia.ro reported. The platform is meant to be a single point of interaction between employers, employment placement agencies, and state authorities.
Also accompanying the draft project is the registration procedure and obligations of employers who recruit foreign workers, the authorization and operation of employment placement agencies from outside the EU, as well as the amendment and completion of related normative acts.
The legislative initiative comes in the context of a pronounced labor shortage in several sectors of the Romanian economy. Since the pandemic, Romanian companies have turned to foreign workers, especially from South-East Asian countries.
The bill aims to strengthen mechanisms for protecting foreign workers, preventing labor exploitation, and combating illegal migration, according to Economedia.ro.
The project includes the complete digitalization of hiring foreign workers through the WorkinRomania platform; the introduction of a single application to simplify administrative procedures; and the mandatory registration of employers wishing to hire citizens from third countries in an official register.
The same ordinance lays out clear regulation for placement agencies through an authorization system based on eligibility criteria, professional reputation, and financial capacity. The government will also create a List of Deficient Occupations, which will be updated periodically, and differentiated work visas.
Authorities emphasized that the proposed measures aim to balance the needs of employers, the proper functioning of the labor market, and the protection of foreign workers.
Over 140,000 workers from outside the European Union are currently present in Romania, working in jobs in the manufacturing, construction, and trade sectors. According to government sources cited by Romania Actualitati, next year a new number of 75.000 foreigners will be accepted on the Romanian labor market.
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