The newest report on the labor market indicates that the lack of talents has become a structural problem. An increasing gap is outlined between employers and employees regarding the transparency of wages, and investments in artificial intelligence are increasing, although the concrete effects remain difficult to evaluate.
Pixabay photo
According to the HR & Payroll Pulse 2025 report published by SD Worx, 46% of the companies in Europe say they do not find sufficient staff to carry out their activity, and 53% expect the situation to worsen in the coming years. In response, 58% of organizations have introduced flexible career career, and 36% already recruit across borders.
Almost 70% of employees declare themselves satisfied with the job, but 54% only look at it as a source of income. Only 31% consider that they receive real support for mental health, although over half of the employers believe the opposite.
Regarding compensation, two thirds of European employers claim to offer fair salaries, but only 42% of employees confirm, which means that more than half (58%) of European employees are dissatisfied with the remuneration collected.
In the context of the European Directive on salary transparency, this gap becomes not only a reliable issue, but also a compliance, and HR leaders are forced to introduce clearer and more explanatory practices.
Salary and artificial intelligence
For companies that outsource Payroll processes, 50% report significant cost reductions, compared to only 37% of organizations that manage domestic pay. At the same time, 38% of HR professionals are already investing in solutions based on artificial intelligence, increasing compared to 33% last year. Only 31% of companies report clear results, and 53% admit that I do not know what real impact will still have. The report shows that adoption must be related to concrete objectives, not technological trends: clarity, transparency and integration in organizational culture are critical factors for success.
Human resources between objective and compliance
The SD Worx report also shows that 55% of employers believe that they have integrated sustainability in the HR strategy, but 57% admit that they are not prepared for compliance with the CSRD Directive. The most common initiatives are the support for well-being, the flexibility of work and ethical management-aspects perceived by employees rather as basic standards than as differentiating elements.
“The next stage in the evolution of HR is no longer just about processes or technology, but about trust, clarity and sustainability. In Romania, companies feel the same pressures as in the rest of Europe, and our role is to support them to turn these challenges into growth opportunities.”says Ciprian Chiorean, General Manager SD Worx Romania.
The report, based on the answers of 16,000 employees and 5,625 HR decision makers in 16 countries in Europe, shows that organizations that will be able to adapt are the ones who will manage to align the strategy with the experience of employees, treat pay and well being as reliable elements and integrate sustainability into HR processes, not just in compliance.
Romanian employers are not prepared for salaries transparency
62% of the employers participating in the latest survey conducted by EJobs Romania said that they are not prepared for the moment when the salary market will be transparent in order to publish the salaries offered in the employment announcements. They have not yet started the process of implementation and adaptation to the new Directive, which, according to the European Commission, will be implemented starting next next year. This is while 22% feel partially prepared, they have begun to analyze the impact and make plans, and 16% are very prepared and already have a policy of transparent salaries they apply in the employment process.
“Although it is no longer a new topic for employers and everyone knows the directive and the fact that it does not take long until it is implemented, we will continue to see a percentage that fails to pass 40% of the jobs that have the salary displayed in the employment announcement. Exceptions are the Blue Collar jobs, addressed to the candidates without higher education. Postly jobs have the salary published, on iajob.ro, the platform dedicated to candidates who have no higher education, the number increases to 7 out of 10”Says Raluca Dumitra, Head of Marketing at EJobs, the largest recruitment platform in Romania.
When asking about how the company is related to which they belong to salary transparency when posting new jobs available, 34% replied that they publish the salary for most new positions, 10% do this only for entry level positions, while 56% do not display it at all. 41.7% admit that they are afraid that such a transparent approach could generate potential dissatisfaction with current employees regarding the differences between the salaries they receive and those offered to the candidates for the vacant positions. 21% believes that this information must remain confidential, and 14.6% believe that the publication of wages will lead to a more difficult management of the wage negotiations with the new candidates. Other risks I see in adopting this directive are related to the high administrative costs related to the implementation, but also the fact that they will be disadvantaged in attracting candidates because they do not offer competitive salaries.
“There are also employers who see Benefits in implementing the transparency of the salary marketthe main being the increase of the confidence capital in the relationship with the employees and the candidates. Other mentioned benefits were to reduce wage differences and promote gender equity, as well as attracting talents in a shorter time. In the same time, including our data show that ads with the salary displayed receive up to four times more views and applications than the others”, Details Raluca Dumitra. 30% say, on the other hand, that they do not see benefits, but only risks to such an extent. Despite this fact, 66% of the poll participants declare that the message that has the highest resonance in communicating with the potential employees is the one related to the salary package.
