Labour · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Romania: the labour market
Labour force is 8.2m (2025), 65th of 187 in the world and 13th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 51.3% (2025), 157th of 187 in the world and 45th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 41.8% (2025), 145th of 187 in the world and 43rd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Romania
Participation rate
RomaniaEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Romania in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 8.2m2025 | 65/187 | 13/49 | 9.3m | 8.6m | 8.4m | −3.7%since 2015 | 429m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 51.3%2025 | 157/187 | 45/49 | 51.1% | 50.3% | 52.0% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 41.8%2025 | 145/187 | 43/49 | 42.4% | 41.9% | 42.7% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 48.3%2025 | 151/187 | 43/49 | 47.5% | 46.8% | 49.4% | +0.5 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 6.0%2025 | 76/187 | 23/49 | 7.0% | 7.0% | 5.0% | −0.8 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 5.6%2025 | 98/187 | 26/49 | 6.3% | 6.2% | 4.7% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 24.5%2025 | 33/187 | 7/49 | 18.0% | 22.2% | 17.6% | +2.5 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 16.5%2025 | 93/170 | 9/46 | 17.5% | 16.6% | 14.8% | −1.6 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 85.5%2025 | 42/187 | 24/49 | 62.1% | 73.1% | 84.5% | +6.3 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 13.0%2025 | 137/187 | 21/49 | 35.3% | 24.7% | 14.2% | −5.9 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 10.9%2025 | 107/187 | 15/49 | 33.6% | 20.4% | 12.3% | −5.1 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 32.6%2025 | 10/187 | 3/49 | 30.9% | 32.3% | 32.6% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 56.5%2025 | 104/187 | 39/49 | 35.5% | 47.3% | 55.2% | +4.3 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Employment rate+0.5 pp48.3% in 2025
- Unemployment−0.8 pp6.0% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.3 pp5.6% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−1.6 pp16.5% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−0.7 pp41.8% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+2.5 pp24.5% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Romania and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Romania. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Romania | Ukraine | Hungary | Serbia | Bulgaria | Moldova |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 8.2m2025 | 20.5m2021 | 4.9m2025 | 3.3m2025 | 3.1m2025 | 1.4m2025 |
| Participation rate | 51.3%2025 | 54.6%2021 | 60.6%2025 | 59.1%2025 | 56.1%2025 | 72.3%2025 |
| Women's participation | 41.8%2025 | 47.7%2021 | 54.3%2025 | 52.6%2025 | 50.4%2025 | 72.3%2025 |
| Employment rate | 48.3%2025 | 49.3%2021 | 57.8%2025 | 54.9%2025 | 54.1%2025 | 71.2%2025 |
| Unemployment | 6.0%2025 | 9.8%2021 | 4.5%2025 | 7.1%2025 | 3.5%2025 | 1.5%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 5.6%2025 | 10.2%2021 | 4.4%2025 | 7.5%2025 | 3.3%2025 | 1.2%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 24.5%2025 | 19.1%2021 | 14.2%2025 | 20.9%2025 | 10.2%2025 | 4.2%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 16.5%2025 | 16.5%2017 | 9.5%2025 | 12.7%2025 | 11.5%2025 | 9.1%2025 |
| Wage workers | 85.5%2025 | 79.0%2021 | 88.4%2025 | 73.0%2025 | 88.2%2025 | 41.2%2025 |