New INS data hits in the midst of a political crisis. Youth unemployment in the villages is 5 times higher than the national unemployment
figures published on Wednesday, April 22, by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) shows that the employment rate of Romanians between the ages of 15 and 64 dropped to 63.0% in 2025.
- In the general picture of the population, if 90% of those with higher education are employed, for Romanians with less education the employment rate is only 34.9%.
Romania lost almost 14,000 jobs in 2025, reaching an employment rate of 63.%, according to the INS.
The employment rate is the percentage of the population (usually aged 15–64) that has a job and is important because it shows how well an economy is using its key resource: people.
INS: Youth unemployment in rural areas is 30%
At first glance, Romania's economy seems to be working: 7.69 million people are employed, the service sector absorbs over half of the workforce, and 82% of jobs are concentrated in the private sector. And yet, the number of employees fell by 13,500 people in 2025 compared to the previous year, 2024.
Unemployment has also climbed to 6.1%, and youth unemployment is wreaking havoc. In rural areas, youth unemployment reaches over 30%, according to data published by the INS.
Thus, youth unemployment in the villages is three times higher than the unemployment of the general population in the villages: 9.8%. And it's 5 times higher than national unemployment, which was 6.1% in 2025, 0.7% higher than in 2024.
An important part of the answer lies in demographics, according to the repeated warnings of sociologists. Romania is aging at a remarkable speed. The younger generations are fewer and fewer – either they were not born or they left.
A quarter of young people looking for work cannot find it
The employment rate of young people between 15 and 24 is only 17.6%. But the figure reflects that this generation is mostly in school or gone to the West rather than being unproductive.
A quarter of young people looking for a job cannot find one – the unemployment rate in this segment reaches 26.1%, the highest level of all age groups. In the countryside, the situation is even worse: youth unemployment exceeds 30%, a level that turns entire villages into communities without an economic future.
Emigration remains the silent hemorrhage of the Romanian economy. For decades, Romania has been exporting young, qualified and motivated workforce to Germany, Italy, Spain or Great Britain.
Vacancies are hard to fill – not for lack of will, but for lack of people. The total working population barely exceeds 8.2 million, a small figure for a country of 19 million.
Studies massively influence employability
Education matters, INS figures also show. Among those with higher education, the employment rate reaches 90.1% – almost everyone works.
Among those with secondary education, the proportion drops to 65.8%. And for those with little education, the situation is dramatic: only 34.9% are employed.
The geographical disparities are equally striking. The employment rate in urban areas (69.7%) is 13.7 percentage points higher than in rural areas (56.0%).
And rural unemployment (9.8%) is more than three times higher than urban unemployment (3.0%). But the national average hides the gaps.
Five counties – Giurgiu, Călărași, Botoșani, Vaslui and Suceava – have occupancy rates below 45%. Giurgiu is at 39.7%.
In other words: in these counties, out of ten adults of working age, less than four have a formal job.
Counties with the lowest employment rates in 2025
| County | Busy people | Occupancy rate |
|---|---|---|
| George | 66,500 | 39.7% |
| Calarasi | 73,400 | 41.2% |
| Botosani | 105,100 | 41.3% |
| row | 98,700 | 43.0% |
| Suceava | 183,900 | 45.2% |
| IALOMIŢA | 73,700 | 47.5% |
| Dambovita | 151,000 | 48.5% |
| Bacau | 185,400 | 49.4% |
| Olt | 122,200 | 50.4% |
| Galati | 156,400 | 50.5% |
| Vrancea | 107,000 | 51.0% |
Source: own calculations based on INS 2025 data.
Some trends
The visible consequence is migration. Young people are leaving – either to the city or out of the country. Which hollows out rural communities and creates a vicious circle: the more people leave, the less attractive those areas become for investment or services.
The private sector dominates: 82.3% of employed Romanians work there. The state employs only 17.1%, which contradicts the narrative that Romania has a dense public apparatus (at least from the perspective of the number of employees, we are not referring to efficiency).
Part-time work is marginal – only 2.5% of the employed, of which 66% are in agriculture. The Romanian labor market is still dominated by full-time workers, unlike in Western Europe.
The countryside offers no real alternatives. In urban areas, a young person without a job can do freelancing, deliveries, call center. In rural areas, the offer is almost zero outside of agriculture, which itself employs mainly part-time and seasonal workers.
