The Romanian government has approved doubling the number of non-EU workers to be allowed employment in Romania in 2021 from 25,000 to 50,000, to meet the demand for more than 160,000 workers, Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Wednesday.
“Another piece of legislation that has been and is very important for the labour market: doubling the number of foreign workers allowed to work in Romania in 2021. What we have doubled is that quota of people who can work in Romania from the non-EU space. Justification – we need, for the implementation of investment projects, a figure, we need 160,000 people, so far as I understand. From the beginning of the year we have witnessed an increase of 2.77%, including 29,995 openings repeatedly advertised by employers. (…) Once again, the demand is for over 160,000 people, workers,” Citu told a news briefing on Wednesday at the Government House.
“The government approved today an increase to 50,000 of the contingent of non-EU of workers for 2021, an additional 25,000 to the number of workers approved at the beginning of 2021,” said the Minister of Labour and Social Protection Raluca Turcan.
She added the measure was needed because the number of applications for employment by foreign workers increased by 27.8% this year.
“Rounding up the quota of foreign workers for this year comes as H1 witnessed a significant increase in the number of applications – 27.8% as against the same period of 2020. Last year, the quota was set at 30,000 newly admitted foreign workers, and 27,258 employment permits were issued by the end of 2020, 90.8% of the total. January-late July this year, 17,196 employment permits were issued (68.7% of the total) and for the same period of time another 3,620 applications for employment permits are being considered,” said Turcan.
She also pointed out that the number of job openings in Romania has increased this year, and almost 30,000 available jobs submitted by employers to the National Employment Agency (ANOFM) are repeatedly advertised by them.
“On the other hand, ANOFM data show that in January-May 2021, the total number of openings was 160,405, as against 156,085 in the same period last year, up 2.77%, 29,995 of which are frequently advertised. Thus, the supplementation of the contingent of non-EU workers meets the need to ensure the workforce required in some sectors that cannot be covered by Romanian workers, while preventing undocumented foreign workers in Romania,” concluded Turcan.
Anghel Saligny National Investment Programme to span at least 6 years, cost 50 billion RON
The government discussed on Wednesday’s sitting, in a first reading, the Anghel Saligny National Investment Programme, which will have a 50 billion RON (rd 10 billion euro) budget and will span at least 6 years, Prime Minister Florin Citu announced.
“Today, we had in the first reading a draft emergency ordinance for the approval of the Anghel Saligny National Investment Programme, an investment program for local authorities through which we will be able to implement asphalt roads, sewerage and water supply, which will have a budget of 50 billion lei and will span a minimum of 6 years,”said Citu, in a press conference, at the Victoria Palace.
He argued that this programme is necessary because it is “inadmissible” to have localities with unpaved roads, without sewage or drinking water.
“There are basic things we could have had in Romania by now. (…) We will do them in this mandate,” the prime minister said.
We will make a hospital in Sinaia, a student dorm in Bucharest Politehnica University
The Government has approved, on Wednesday, to make a hospital in central Sinaia, which will have 6 wards with 138 beds, PM Florin Citu announced.
“I said that through Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) we will make hospitals. Today, during the Government sitting, we have approved a decision through which we will make a hospital in Sinaia through the Ministry of Development, it began some time ago, but the financial resources as well as the political will were missing. Today we found both, financial resources and political will, in order to make it. The investment alone is almost 121 million RON, the Sinaia City Hall participating with a co-financing of 12.3 million RON. The hospital will have 6 wards with 138 beds, and the execution period of the investment is estimated at 60 months,” Citu said, after the Government reunion.
Furthermore, the PM announced that the Government approved to carry out a student dorm within the Bucharest Politehnica University, adding that the investment’s value goes up to approximately 120 million RON, of which 116.2 million RON are financed by the Ministry of Development, the rest being from the Politehnica. Citu specified that the execution period of the investment will span 12 months.
Compiled from Agerpres
Photo: www.gov.ro
