In Romania’s labour market in 2026, the job-vacancy rate is lower than in previous years, and the part-time job sector \u2014 where students predominantly work \u2014 is following the same trajectory. The retail and HoReCa sectors, which usually offer the most part-time positions, are among those most affected by the economic slowdown, which leads to a reduced number of vacancies.<\/p>\n
Economedia spoke with Claudia Indreica, leader of the Labour Market Task Force within Romanian Business Leaders (RBL), about how available the labour market currently is for students, and also about how employers perceive them.<\/p>\n
She also explained what helps students land a job more easily \u2014 from proactivity to the ability to learn quickly, the mistakes they make when submitting their CV, how important it is to be able to assess the impact of their work, and what gives them a competitive advantage once they are integrated into a new job.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Claudia Indreica pointed out a few of the competencies that employers most often look for.<\/p>\n
Economedia:<\/strong> Is there a supply for students who want to work, whether it’s something in their field or a job that simply helps them support themselves? Are there opportunities adapted to their schedule?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> Students have an advantage that can make part-time jobs more attractive: if they have student status, these contracts are not over-taxed, as is generally the case for other categories. Part-time contracts have been discouraged through taxation close to that of full-time work, which makes them less attractive for employers. For students, this over-taxation does not apply in the same way, and that gives them an advantage \u2014 one that appeared, admittedly, in a context in which Romania’s labour market has been distorted.<\/p>\n So they can more easily turn to part-time jobs, but such opportunities are not very numerous at the moment. If we look at the general indicators of Romania’s labour market, we notice that the number of jobs has fallen, including in the full-time area. Romania needs to restart its economic engines, and the business environment looks with hope to the economic-recovery programme being worked on at the governmental level. A more active intervention is needed to stimulate the economy, and government support plays an important role in this process.<\/p>\n With the economic recovery, more jobs will appear, including at entry level, which will change the market dynamics.<\/p>\n Economedia:<\/strong> How does the reduction in 100% remote jobs influence students’ chances of working during their studies and their involvement in the labour market?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> Remote jobs, in general, existed especially when you had a very well-established system, in which someone only had to follow well-defined procedures already integrated into the company’s processes. Such jobs are no longer as frequent, as they are increasingly automated.<\/p>\n The trend of working remotely has declined: most companies apply the hybrid model \u2014 for example, three days at the office and two remote. Even IT companies that were fully remote realised that a degree of creativity and innovation was lost, because people no longer socialised as much.<\/p>\n All companies have shifted toward the hybrid zone \u2014 some will remain hybrid, others may move from hybrid toward full office as things settle. The advantage of hybrid and remote work is that you can access people who are not near the headquarters: you have your office in Bucharest and you can hire very good people who live in Bac\u0103u and work for the company. But other opportunities are lost, and this must be mitigated: how do we make the most of talent from other areas while keeping them connected to the company?<\/p>\n No matter how much you try through a meeting once a month or every three months, social and company-related skills are lost. In IT, after the pandemic, when many companies were fully remote and gave up their offices, people developed anxiety and now have difficulty interacting in online meetings with clients. The client is unpredictable and can generate difficult situations in which you have to respond immediately. After two or three years of working from your own kitchen or home office, problems may arise in handling highly difficult situations, because you have always been in a controlled environment.<\/p>\n Economedia:<\/strong> How does the long period of remote work affect the development of young professionals’ communication and adaptation skills?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> After such a long period, any skill you don’t practise is lost, including the ability to communicate and adapt in real time, especially when unexpected situations arise in the relationship with clients. Such interactions make you more adaptable and more resilient, even in the face of difficult situations with the company’s various clients.<\/p>\n After the pandemic, it was observed that the language of many employees, even in managerial positions, became poorer in professional terms. If we limit ourselves only to specialist literature or press articles, without other interactions, we lose access to terms and concepts from other fields. For example, a client in wood manufacturing uses a different language than one in IT, and the work has to be translated in order to be understood. This is part of professional development, and approaching client interactions with courage is essential.<\/p>\n It is also important to develop tolerance for mistakes and feedback, not to take observations personally, and to see every interaction as a learning opportunity. Seeking people who can offer correct and constructive feedback is vital \u2014 these mentors or guides help us react correctly in practical situations and develop our competencies. We shouldn’t wait for someone to assign them to us; we should choose our own mentors and actively seek feedback.<\/p>\n Mentoring is gaining ground again with the return of physical presence at work and of live interactions, and it can help, among other things, to more quickly identify the areas in which a young professional can become productive or find their professional path \u2014 even if they change their field at 30.<\/p>\n Economedia:<\/strong> How do employers currently perceive students?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> Prejudices exist, with each segment targeted to some extent. A common stereotype is the idea that young people require a great deal of time to be trained, although reality is different. Many of them, even at 20\u201323, have very good competencies, developed even in difficult, near-survival environments, where they had to learn to be responsible and efficient. It is important for employers to look at each person individually and not to generalise: there are capable and motivated students, and the focus should not be solely on the supposed difficulty of training them.<\/p>\n These young people can bring a different perspective, which is an increasingly significant advantage as companies develop services and products for Generation Z, which is becoming an ever more important customer segment. Listening to them and including them in the team not only supports the adaptation of products, but also helps young people integrate actively and contribute relevant ideas.<\/p>\n Economedia:<\/strong> What sets apart the students who land a job more easily? Have you identified certain traits or habits that increase their chances of success?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> First of all, initiative is essential. Proactivity makes the difference. Students who actively look for information about jobs, who ask questions, who take an interest and try to understand which competencies are relevant, have greater chances of succeeding. If this proactivity is missing \u2014 which, again, is built over time \u2014 people tend to remain in a passive zone, and the chances of opportunities coming to them on their own are low.<\/p>\n Another important element is the ability to learn quickly, including through trial and error. What makes the difference is how you handle mistakes. If the reaction is “I made a mistake, so I withdraw,” the development process stops. If, instead, the question “how do I fix it and what do I do differently next time?” arises, then we are talking about a healthy growth mechanism. Equally important is the ability to internalise feedback. Of course, how feedback is delivered also matters \u2014 ideally it should be development-oriented, not discouraging. But beyond that, the young person must be able to receive observations without turning them into a defensive reaction. If they take them exclusively personally and don’t use them as a tool for adjustment, they slow down their own progress.<\/p>\n Economedia:<\/strong> Have you noticed frequent mistakes in the CVs of students who apply for jobs?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> Mistakes are fewer than in the past, but a different kind of problem appears: standardised, easily recognisable phrasing generated with AI tools. You can see the correct structure, but personal substance is often missing. What is more difficult for many is to highlight results, not just tasks. Instead of listing only what they did, it would be important to show what impact they had: what they concretely delivered, what changed thanks to their involvement.<\/p>\n Those who manage this are usually students involved in NGOs or extracurricular projects, where they learned to think in terms of impact and results. On the other hand, those without such experiences tend to describe mostly tasks, with few numbers and no clear indicators. Yet numbers can be indicators of reality and help the employer understand the scale of the contribution made.<\/p>\n Economedia:<\/strong> You previously mentioned certain gaps you observe in some students. In general, what skills or styles do you think they lack, and how sought-after are these by employers?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> If we are talking about jobs where the employer provides the necessary technical training, then what is sought first are a few basic elements: responsibility, integrity, and work ethic. These are the things the young person should already come with, so that the company doesn’t have to build them from scratch. The rest \u2014 the role-specific competencies, the procedures, the tasks \u2014 can be acquired through training.<\/p>\n As for work ethic, it isn’t formed suddenly at 18 or 22, when you enter university or finish your studies. It is built over time, including in primary school, and it is a continuous process to which the family also contributes. The fact that, at home, we share responsibilities, complete tasks, and understand that finishing one activity allows someone else to start the next stage is, in fact, an early form of learning discipline and responsibility.<\/p>\n Another important element is communication: the ability to clearly convey what you have accomplished, so that the other person can take in the information and continue their own task. These are competencies related to discipline, responsibility, and work ethic that we need regardless of age or status. There are indeed gaps in these areas for some young people, including a relatively quick tendency to drop out.<\/p>\n We live in a culture of immediate reward, fuelled by social media: you post a photo and quickly receive validation. In the labour market, things work differently. Sometimes you put in consistent effort before recognition appears.<\/p>\n There is a need to adjust expectations and to understand that sustained, consistent effort is part of the process. Over time, effort optimisation also comes into play \u2014 you learn to achieve better results more efficiently, which is a matter of productivity. It is a process that young people go through at different paces: for some it is easier to integrate, for others more difficult.<\/p>\n Economedia:<\/strong> What message would you convey to decision-makers in order to increase the participation of young people, particularly students, in the labour market?<\/p>\n Claudia Indreica:<\/strong> The labour market must be viewed in an integrated way, with the aim of making the most of 100% of the country’s human capital. We must have a vision that includes students, young mothers, homemakers, people over 50, and even those over 60, offering them skills-development programmes, guidance, and professional reorientation. It is essential not to favour one segment at the expense of another. Young people can cover certain segments of the market, older people others. An integrated strategy is needed that gives everyone autonomy and dignity at work and makes the most of each person’s potential. This should be the basis for any workforce-policy decision.<\/p>\nRemote jobs: opportunity or trap?<\/h2>\n
Remote work and anxiety<\/h2>\n
Mentoring is gaining ground<\/h2>\n
How employers perceive students<\/h2>\n
Tolerance for mistakes and feedback is essential<\/h2>\n
Work impact, poorly identified by students<\/h2>\n
Work ethic, built over time<\/h2>\n
Adjusting expectations in the era of instant gratification<\/h2>\n
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