According to a draft emergency ordinance examined at Thursday's government meeting, the Executive will manage the admission of foreign workers to the Romanian labour market through a single national digital platform.
The project, discussed in a first reading, aims to streamline procedures and shorten approval times amid a nationwide labour shortage, the government said in a statement.
The WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform would provide "transparent, secure and digitalised" management of foreign-worker access. It also introduces a list of shortage occupations, approved by government decision and updated twice a year based on data from the National Employment Agency and the National Institute of Statistics, and consultations with social partners.
The draft ordinance also proposes a mandatory financial deposit as a preventive protection mechanism to cover repatriation costs, support for workers at risk and enforcement of fines for placement agencies that fail to meet their legal obligations.
Contract models - including service-supply contracts, tripartite placement contracts and employment contracts - would be standardised. The ordinance also enshrines the "employer pays" principle, banning any fees, taxes, guarantees or deposits charged to workers, in line with International Labour Organization and OECD standards.
Over the past decade, the annual quota of newly admitted foreign workers has risen from 5,500 in 2015 - 2016 to 100,000 in 2022 - 2025. For 2026, the government has set a quota of 90,000, the statement noted.
Government spokesperson Ioana Dogioiu said the emergency ordinance on foreign workers' access to the labour market will be adopted at a later Cabinet meeting.
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