Romania

Impact date: 1 June 2026 A new law introduced important exceptions to Romania's rules on sick pay. Previously, the first day of sick leave was generally unpaid. Under the new rules, the first day of absence must now be paid in certain situations, including maternity leave, maternity risk leave, leave for patients covered by national health programmes, and sick leave issued in connection with hospital treatment.

The law also clarifies that, for the same uninterrupted illness or medical condition, only one unpaid day may apply, regardless of how many medical certificates are issued during that period. This is intended to prevent employees from losing additional days of pay simply because their absence is covered by multiple certificates.

Impact date: 11 June 2026 Order No. 655/2026 introduces a mandatory standard employment contract for registered employers hiring non-EU foreign nationals under GEO No. 32/2026. From 11 June 2026, employers must use this prescribed template and ensure that it is signed in both Romanian and a language understood by the employee. In the event of any discrepancy, the Romanian version prevails. The aim is to ensure that foreign workers are fully informed about their employment terms and rights before commencing work.

The new template requires a number of additional mandatory provisions, including details of the employee's net and gross salary, applicable tax and social security deductions, accommodation and transport arrangements, any relevant double taxation treaty, Romanian language and integration training, restrictions on changing employer during the first six months of employment, and notification obligations relating to employment agencies and the General Inspectorate for Immigration.

Impact date: 1 July 2026 Under Government Decision (HG) No. 146/2026, Romania's national gross minimum wage increased from RON 4,050 to RON 4,325 per month with effect from 1 July 2026. The increase applies to employees whose pay is tied to the statutory minimum wage and is intended to raise the minimum level of earnings across the workforce.

The increase also triggers administrative obligations for employers. Under HG No. 295/2025 on the electronic employee register (REGES-Online), any change to an employee's gross monthly salary must be recorded in the register within 20 working days of the date the change takes effect. Employers whose employees were affected by the minimum wage increase must therefore update both payroll records and the information reported in REGES-Online.

Impact date: 1 July 2026 Romania is continuing the gradual increase in the standard retirement age for women as part of a long-term process of aligning the retirement ages of men and women. From 1 July 2026, the applicable retirement age for a female employee depends on her individual date of birth, with the precise retirement age determined by the transition schedule set out in the law. As a result, there is no single retirement age that applies to all women from that date.

The change is part of an existing statutory timetable rather than a new reform. In practice, women reaching retirement age should check the relevant schedule in Law No. 360/2023 to determine when they become eligible for an old-age pension.

Impact date: 22 July 2026

Order No. 629/372/2026 updates Romania's official Classification of Occupations (COR) by introducing five new occupations: pastoral assistant (263649), circular economy expert (242243), sustainable development specialist (242242), circular economy specialist (213313) and gemologist technician (311945). The inclusion of these occupations reflects the emergence of new professional roles, particularly in the areas of sustainability, environmental management and specialist technical services.

The addition of new occupations to the COR means that employers now have officially recognized job classifications available when recruiting, drafting employment contracts and completing employment registration and reporting requirements. In practice, this provides greater clarity for organizations employing individuals in these roles and helps align job titles with Romania's official occupational classification system.

Impact date: 28 July 2026 People between 16 and 30 years old who are not enrolled in any educational program and do not participate in vocational training can benefit from a monthly amount when getting full-time job, for an indefinite period and for the first time. The bonus will be granted for a period of 24 months, as follows: RON 1,000 per month, in the first 12 months from the date of employment; RON 1,250 per month, in the next 12 consecutive months. The bonus has to be requested within a maximum of 90 days from the date of employment and is a non-taxable amount.

Young people have the obligation to fully refund the amounts received as stability bonus, if the employment relationship ceases, within a period of less than 24 months from the date of employment, in the following situations: as a result of the agreement of the parties; if the employee has committed a disciplinary breach and has received a disciplinary sanction; in the event of resignation.

Impact date: 28 July 2026

Employers that hire on an indefinite-term basis mothers who are unemployed and who have at least three children under the age of 18 can benefit from a monthly incentive of RON 2,250. Financial support is granted for a period of 12 months, provided that the employment relationship is maintained for at least 18 months. The incentive is also available to employers that hire on an indefinite-term basis persons who have served custodial sentences, educational measures or other non-custodial sanctions ordered by judicial bodies.

Impact date: 6 August 2026 In the context of updating the immigration framework, GEO 32/2026 imposed a list that includes the jobs that require foreign workforce.

The List includes 289 occupations and applies exclusively to the D/AM2 visa category — covering permanent, seasonal, and frontier workers coming from outside of the European Union. The List does not apply to D/AM1 visas, which are reserved for highly qualified workers, academic and scientific staff, professional athletes, and citizens of Moldova, Ukraine, and Serbia employed full-time in Romania. As a result, workers admitted under the D/AM2 category will work in Romania in fields such as construction, the food industry, agriculture, the textile industry, transport, tourism, hospitality, healthcare, and production. Among the listed occupations are cargo handler, courier, cook helper, welder, car and truck driver, auto mechanic, waiter, hotel maid, construction electrician, nurse, child caregiver, croupier, lifeguard and upholsterer.

Authorized Placement Agencies will only be able to provide placement services for occupations included in the Shortage Occupations List and on the basis of firm job offers uploaded by registered employers to the WorkinRomania.gov.ro electronic platform.

Employers can also submit proposals for updating the list if the list does not contain an occupation for which they have not been able to find a worker from Romania/EU or EEA.

Impact date: 6 August 2026 GEO 32/2026 introduced the WorkinRomania.gov.ro digital platform as the central tool for managing procedures related to the employment of third-country nationals in Romania. The platform has been launched and will facilitate information exchange between employers and authorities, while also centralizing documentation related to the recruitment, authorization, and employment of foreign workers. Employers can register or apply for the status of an authorized employer, upload firm job offers and, depending on the category of worker, single applications can be submitted to replace the old mechanism based on employment notices.

Through the platform, employers also have the opportunity to propose the introduction of a new occupation in the List of shortage occupations, while foreign workers can report situations of abuse or infringement of rights.