PM Citu says public sector is free to hire new people; salary envelope needs to be observed

Prime Minister Florin Citu on Wednesday said that institutions and public authorities will be able to hold interviews to fill vacancies, on condition they observe the salary envelope provided in the budget.

Asked if the approval in Parliament of a law that offers the possibility to hold interviews for filling vacancies in public institutions and the public sector will lead to the increase in expenses with salaries in the budget, Citu said: "No. They will be employed within the salary envelope we have provided in the budget. This does not necessarily mean that there will be higher staff costs, but only that they can hire new people and, if they are able to observe the salary envelope, everything is fine."

He added that he did not know how many new employees could appear as a result of this law, nor what the shortage of staff in public institutions was.

On Wednesday, the Chamber of Deputies modified the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 183/2020, including the possibility of holding, for a period of 6 months, the interviews for filling vacancies in public institutions and the public sector in general.

The Chamber of Deputies is the decision-making body in this case