Business #13 Legislative focus

Romania now has new rules on foreign workers, according to an emergency ordinance adopted by the Government. A new national digital platform (WorkinRomania.gov.ro) will manage the recruitment process for non-EU workers, while authorities will publish and regularly update a list of shortage occupations that will guide employers’ hiring decisions. Companies hiring through placement agencies will be required to provide mandatory financial guarantees, and all employment and placement contracts will be standardised and multilingual. The ordinance also introduces the “employer pays” principle, banning any recruitment costs charged to workers, and moves the entire authorisation process into a fully digital system with faster approval timelines.

It was published in the Official Gazette.

Companies will have faster, fully digital access to foreign workers, but must introduce mandatory financial guarantees, use standardised multilingual contracts, and comply with the “employer pays” rule banning any worker fees. Recruitment will become more predictable, with a clear shortage-occupation list guiding hiring.

Employers and agencies must move recruitment to the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform, set up required guarantees, and update contracts and internal procedures.

Parliament has adopted amendments to GEO 91/2025, restoring full payment from the first day of medical leave for several categories of insured patients. The change reverses the previous rule under which the first day of sick leave was unpaid. It applies to patients with chronic diseases included in national health programmes, oncology patients, people with rare diseases, day hospitalization cases, and medical-surgical emergencies. The measure ensures full income coverage from the start of medical incapacity for work, replacing the earlier partial-payment system for these categories.

After the law is published in the Official Gazette, companies will need to apply full medical leave compensation from day one for the affected categories, increasing short-term labour cost predictability.

Once again, employers should update internal payroll procedures and HR systems to reflect full-day-one payment for eligible medical cases. They should also ensure HR teams are trained on the new categories and align internal policies with the updated legal framework once published in the Official Gazette.

A recent draft government decision updates Romania’s employment incentive system following recent changes introduced by Emergency Ordinance 11/2026. The proposal introduces a new “youth stability bonus” for first-time permanent employment, extends employer subsidies to additional vulnerable groups, and sets strict deadlines and documentation rules for accessing these benefits.

Companies could benefit from higher and broader subsidies when hiring young people or other vulnerable categories, but will also face stricter administrative rules, tight deadlines, and compliance requirements.

Employers should review eligibility for subsidy schemes, especially for youth and vulnerable groups, and adapt HR processes to meet the new documentation and reporting deadlines.