Ioana Apetrii resigned from the human resources department of a technology company in 2024. She had worked there for four years and loved her job. But with the acquisition of the company, the atmosphere changed for the worse. New bosses criticized previous performance and processes, making her feel unwanted.
Jjournalist Dan Popa sends the “EconoMix” newsletter every Thursday morning. If you are interested in personal finances and want to receive economic recommendations, you can subscribe here:
She resigned without a new job lined up: “I wanted to refocus, recover and plan my next step,” she said. “Looking back, I was a little unrealistic about finding a new job.”
He took two months off, but after seven months he still hadn't found a new job. She applied for 200 positions, but no reply came in her mailbox.. She became anxious and depressed and regretted the hasty decision to quit. “Unemployment was actually more stressful because I kept asking myself why I hadn't lasted the last job. I felt guilty,” Ioana said.
According to the INS, the unemployment rate measured according to International Labor Office standards, in the 40-50 age group is around 5% in Romania, below the national average (of 5.9%)
One out of two Romanians wants to quit – but doesn't
To leave and find a new job – this is what many Romanian employees are thinking about, according to a recent study – Romanians@Work 2025, carried out by CareerShift HUB
Ioana's experience illustrates a growing paradox on labor markets not only in Romania but throughout Europe. Many workers want to leave their jobs. Fewer feel able to do it safely.
A workforce ready for change, but not for transition
According to the Romanians@Work 2025 study, 62% of Romanian employees are considering changing jobs, but most do not have a concrete plan in this regard.
More than half of employees (53%) say they are constantly stressed at work
For 3 quarters, peace of mind is more important than financial rewards, and they say the main red flag is toxic organizational culture.
One of the study's clearest signals is a shift in what employees are willing to trade for money. Salary remains important, but it is no longer decisive. Almost half of the Romanians who responded to the survey say that they would never compromise on respect and dignity, not even for higher salaries.
Just over 10% feel emotionally connected to the teams they work with, the cited study also shows.
This mirrors the broader international findings from Gallup and Microsoft, but the Romanian data adds a local nuance: the absence of career infrastructure. Conversations about career advancement or feedback from bosses are rare. Thirty-one percent of respondents had not discussed their career with a manager in the past three months.
The hidden cost of “just leaving”
Ioana's case highlights an often underestimated risk in toxic workplace debates: resignation without a transition strategy can amplify stress, rather than alleviate it.
Unemployment, especially in mid-career, eliminates not only income but also identity. The study shows that many employees feel stuck rather than disengaged – wanting change but lacking the tools, guidance or psychological safety to plan for it.
Career counseling, transparent role paths and regular dialogue are still the exception, rather than the norm, in Romanian firms. The result is a labor market full of latent mobility: people ready to move but fearing the gap between their current job and their next one.
Attention, the Alfa generation enters the field of work
Moreover, the next generation that will enter the labor market is the Alpha generation (those born in 2010), who do not resemble either Millennials or Gen Z – and the economic context will be tougher than what employers have become accustomed to in the last decade.
The Alpha generation are the first real “AI natives”: they grow up with algorithms, automation, digital assistants, not just the Internet and smartphone
The first cohorts will enter the labor market after 2026–2027.
Gen Z has entered a labor-scarce, rising-wage, “war for talent” market.
The Alpha generation will enter a market with restructuring, with disappearing jobs (especially entry-level), with accelerated automation and pressure on productivity.
An article in the publication WirtschaftsWoche warns that many companies are making a timing error: they are still stuck in “Gen Z management”, but they are not preparing for a generation that has a harder time accepting classic hierarchies, questions meaningless work and is much more pragmatic about job security.
If we move the discussion from Germany to Romania, the implications are even harsher:
The Romanian labor market is more fragile, with fewer jobs with high added value, with more outsourcing, easier to automate.
The blockage we were talking about in 40-50 years will move lower; today we see people of 40+ blocked professionally, tomorrow we risk seeing young people blocked at 25–30.
Formal education is not keeping up. Alfa will enter the market with high technological expectations, but with a school that still prepares for declining trades.
