Romania Tackle Shortage of 50,000 Workers in the Tourism Sector By Issuing Visas to Third-Country Workers
The most affected institutions in Romania are those on the coast, with an estimated staff shortage of over 20,000, AtoZSerwisPlus.Ro reports.
The Minister of Tourism, Constantin-Daniel Cadariu, said that the private sector has consistently marked a deficit of workers.
According to the latest data from the Romanian National Institute of Statistics (INS), in 2019, the tourism industry in the country accounted for about three per cent of the country’s GDP, when the number of employees was as high as 480,705.
INS statistics also show that employment in the country stood at 62.1 per cent in the last quarter of the year, down 0.2 per cent from the previous quarter.
In addition, Romania’s workforce is estimated at nine million, while the country’s total population is 19.5 million.
The Ministry of Tourism officials and stakeholders thought that one short-term solution to this situation would be the facilitating of the process of issuing work visas for workers from third countries as well as to encourage immigration.
The Immigration Policy Institute, a US-based research institute, has revealed that Romania is considered an attractive destination by most non-European immigrants arriving from Turkey, China, Israel and Iraq.
On March 11, the Romanian government had decided that all restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 would no longer apply.
At the time, the Romanian Interior Ministry said in a press release that the measures for the submission of documents, restrictions and prohibitions related to COVID-19 as closed border crossing points, the obligation to wear protective masks, the organisation of rallies, concerts, sporting events, and work from home in an effort to protect public health would no longer apply for entry and stay in the Romanian territory.
Meanwhile, the Romanian government announced on March 16 that travellers to Romania would be exempt from submitting an entry form called Passenger Locator Form (PLF).
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine Romania has also shown great support for Ukrainian refugees. In addition, Romania is providing accommodation for all Ukrainian refugees, and in the event of an increasing number the authorities have announced that schools and hotels can also be used as accommodation.
