The generation that no longer catches the train: between useless degrees and poorly paid jobs

Andrei, a 26-year-old from the countryside, perfectly illustrates the statistics presented in a research published on Monday by the National Institute of Statistics. Coming from a family with modest incomes in Teleorman county, Andrei dropped out of high school in the 11th grade, after his father suffered an accident at work and the family faced severe financial difficulties.

“I wanted to continue, but I didn't have money for supplies or transportation to high school. I had to choose between going to school or helping my family survive,” he says. Andrei quickly found a job on the construction site, but after a few years he realized that without education he could not advance professionally. He now works as an unskilled laborer, feeling “trapped” – he needs steady income to support his family, but his lack of a high school diploma blocks his access to higher-paying jobs or vocational retraining programs.

Andrei's case reflects the statistical data: he is a man from the countryside who dropped out of secondary education for financial reasons, exactly the majority profile identified in the research. His story is not unique – is one of the 63,400 similar stories in Romania.

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The size of the problem

The abandonment of formal education represents a significant challenge for the Romanian educational system. In total, 63.4 thousand people between the ages of 15 and 34 declared that they abandoned at least one formal education program, according to research published by the INS. Most of them (56.5%) are men, and 65.3% come from rural areas, note the authors of the research.

Dropping out of studies does not only occur in the primary, secondary, but also in the university cycle.

The highest level of faculty dropout occurs in the first, shows a study done on 5 cohorts of students, study conducted by 4 Romanians (Claudiu Herțeliu, Cezar Hâj, Andrei Pârvan and Daniela Alexe-Coteț) and published by Springer.

“Students who come from other localities than the one where the university is located are more motivated and do not drop out (probably because otherwise they do not get a place in the dormitory and/or a job good enough to allow them to stay in that city afterwards). For those who live in the same city, probably the comfort of their parents' home makes them less motivated. We also found that study programs such as: medicine, military or theology had much lower dropout rates (sometimes 3-5%) compared to most other programs, where the dropout level was higher – or close – to 40%)”, says Claudiu Herțeliu, dean of the Cybernetics Faculty of the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE), in a discussion with HotNews.ro.

Young people between work and inactivity: a generation stuck between needs and opportunities

Romania faces a silent challenge: almost half of young people between the ages of 15 and 34 do not participate in economic activity. According to the latest data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), only 47.3% of young people are employed, the remaining 52.7% being unemployed or inactive.

The number of inactive people in this age group is impressive – almost 2 million young people (1,980,100) do not work or follow any formal education program. Of these, three-quarters are women, and two-thirds live in rural areas.

Education, a race with obstacles

INS shows that 63,400 young people have abandoned at least one formal education program. Most did so between the ages of 25–29 – precisely the time when the transition from education to work should be consolidated.

The reasons are economic rather than academic: 22% dropped out because of tuition costs or because they had to work, and 21% preferred a job over continuing their studies. Other causes cited include lack of motivation, conflicts with teachers, difficulty of the schedule or health problems.

“High fees, the lack of a decent scholarship and the pressure to bring home money are pushing many young people out of school early,” the report notes. In rural areas, financial reasons dominate (21.5%), while in urban areas the preference for work prevails (28.1%).

Reasons for dropping out of school

Economic factors

Financial reasons dominate the ranking of school dropout causes. For 22.0% of young people who dropped out of education, the main reason was high school fees or the need to work to earn a living. In addition, 20.9% stated that they preferred to work rather than continue their studies, which means that almost 43% of dropouts are directly or indirectly related to economic issues.

Gender differences in motivation

There are notable differences between men and women in the reasons for dropping out. Most women (26.0%) mentioned financial reasons, while most men (25.9%) cited other personal reasons, such as moving home, lack of motivation, conflicts with teachers or other students, or the desire to pursue hobbies.

Other factors

Beyond economic aspects, 17.9% of young people mentioned other personal reasons, and 13.8% cited dissatisfaction with the education program (program that did not correspond to interests, useless or too difficult). Family reasons were cited by 10.0% of respondents, and care responsibilities (of own children or sick relatives) by 1.9%. Own illness or disability was the reason for 2.3% of cases.

Variations by educational levels

Reasons for dropping out differ significantly by educational level. More than half (54.4%) of young people with a higher level of education dropped out for reasons related to the academic program itself. Among those with an average level, almost a third (30.7%) cited financial reasons, and 26.9% preferred to work. Among people with a low level of education, 23.6% chose other personal reasons, and about 30.0% cited financial reasons or the preference for a job.

Education and the labor market: a persistent mismatch

Only 40% of unemployed young people believe that their level of education matches the requirements of their last job. Almost half (49.8%) admit that the field followed had nothing to do with professional activity.

The mismatch does not only affect the unemployed. Overall, young people from rural areas more often feel overqualified (12.7%) or underqualified (7%) for the available places. Conversely, in cities, 79% say their level of education is adequate for the job.

The most vulnerable: rural youth and agricultural workers

In agriculture – where more than 10% of active young people work – the discrepancies are even more evident. Almost a quarter of young agricultural workers do not know if their education matches the job requirements, and 16.7% consider themselves overqualified. The same sectors also register the highest percentage of those who believe they have inferior skills for the job (15.7%).

“Romania has a generation of young people who enter the labor market with a fragmented educational background and with a low level of professional orientation”, warn labor market specialists.

An imbalance with economic implications

The fact that half of young people are not working and that the educational dropout rate remains significant points to a double risk: loss of human capital and increased pressure on social systems.

In the absence of targeted interventions – social grants, professional retraining, closer links between school and the labor market -, Romania risks consolidating a category of “young people without direction”, who neither study nor work.