Croatia and Romania Are Emerging as Popular Destinations for Foreign Workers Seeking Employment in the EU
Key Takeaways
1. Croatia and Romania experienced the largest increase in work permits issued to foreigners in 2022 compared to 2013.
2. In total, 1,246,000 work permits were issued across EU countries in 2022.
3. Germany, Sweden, and Spain saw lower rates of work permits issued in 2022.
According to a survey by Monitor Social, Croatia and Romania saw the most significant rise in work permits granted to non-EU nationals in 2022 compared to 2013. This trend highlights their growing popularity as destinations for international workers.
The data shows Croatia issued over 53,400 work permits in 2022, a sharp rise from the 599 issued in 2013. Romania followed with 32,000 permits in 2022, compared to just 1,542 in 2013.
Croatia's work permits saw an increase of over 80 times compared to 2013, while Romania's numbers rose by more than 20 times.
Across the EU, a total of 1,246,000 work permits were issued in 2022, nearly three times the number recorded in 2013. In contrast, countries like Germany, Sweden, and Spain experienced a smaller increase, below the EU average, with Eastern European countries, especially Romania, seeing the highest growth.
Romania issued over 31,000 first-time work permits to non-EU citizens in 2022, with the majority going to nationals from:
- Nepal (over 6,700)
- Sri Lanka (5,100)
- Bangladesh (2,600)
However, these first work permits don’t directly reflect the total number of foreign workers in Romania, as many can extend their contracts without being recorded again in the statistics.
Romania Has One of the Lowest Non-EU Populations in the EU
Non-EU residents account for less than 0.6% of Romania's population, which is lower compared to other EU countries, such as Poland, Lithuania, and Croatia, where the foreign population exceeds 2%.
Despite the sharp increase in work permits over the past decade, Romania still has one of the lowest non-EU populations among EU nations. The Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity (MMSS) attributes this to external migration of Romanian workers, a declining population, and a shrinking number of young people entering the workforce compared to the growing number of retirees.
Additionally, the participation rate of certain segments, such as young people aged 16 to 29, has dropped, as many are neither employed nor involved in education or vocational training.
The Romanian government has set a quota of 100,000 new foreign workers for the current labor market.