According to a study of the Belgian think-thank Bruegel, Romania is the EU country least capable of attracting and retaining talent.
In the conditions created by the recession and the high unemployment registered after 2008, the lack of workforce was a minor factor. However, as the economy recovered after 2012, the crisis in workforce re-emerged.
Recently, the severity of this issue has exceeded its pre-recession peak, especially in countries in Central and Eastern Europe, according to the study, cited by hotnews.ro. Therefore, the conclusions from the pre-crisis period are still valid: migration from countries in CEE has a major negative impact on the local labour market and creates a workforce deficit.
On the other and, the share of foreign citizens in these countries’ population remains low, at under 2 percent in countries like Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
These figures are not surprising, since salaries are much lower than they are in western countries, and salary is a decisive factor in the decision to emigrate.