The years 2025 and 2026 are marked by a series of legislative and fiscal changes designed to reshape Romania’s labor market. These measures reflect a complex effort by authorities to navigate between the pressing need to consolidate the state budget and the goal of creating a more equitable and transparent work environment. From tightening the fight against the informal economy to aligning with European directives on income transparency, the legislative package introduces new rules that will redefine relationships between employers and employees, generating both adaptation challenges and opportunities for greater market fairness.
Stricter penalties for undeclared work
Starting January 1, 2026, Law No. 239/2025 doubles the fines for employing people without an individual employment contract, from 20,000 lei to 40,000 lei per person. Moreover, the maximum cap on cumulative fines increases fivefold, from 200,000 lei to 1 million lei. This measure aims to more effectively combat undeclared work. The law came into force on December 18, 2025.
Fiscal and salary updates
2025 brought an increase in the minimum gross salary to 4,050 lei and meal voucher values to 45 lei. For 2026, there are indications of maintaining 2025 salary levels in the public sector and capping salary increases or indexations.
The elimination of tax benefits for IT sector employees — a measure intended to increase state budget revenues — has generated negative reactions in the industry, with specialists considering it a factor that influenced hiring dynamics in this sector.
Another pillar of this transformation is preparation for the implementation, in mid-2026, of the European directive on salary transparency. This directive will introduce obligations for companies, including publishing salary ranges in job postings and granting employees the right to request information about compensation levels for similar roles. The goal is to reduce salary discrepancies, particularly gender-based ones, and promote equity. In this context, data observed on the bestjobs platform shows a gradual openness from employers toward salary transparency, with increasingly more job postings already including information about salary levels, even before these obligations become official.
Labor force crisis and foreign workers
To partially cover the labor force deficit, the Government approved a contingent of 90,000 foreign workers for 2026, down from the previous year. The highest demand comes from sectors such as courier services, construction, transportation, and hospitality. In parallel, a new emergency ordinance, which came into force at the end of 2025, strictly redefines the concept of “personal assistance,” closing a legal loophole through which many versatile workers were brought in for household services, which could lead to an increase in undeclared work in this sector.
Romania’s labor market is at an inflection point. 2025 was a warning signal, highlighting a cautious market in waiting mode, while 2026 brings major structural challenges. From the perspective of developments observed on bestjobs, adaptability, investment in skills relevant to the future, and open dialogue between employers and candidates will become key success factors in a context of accelerated transformations.
