Labour Shortage in Romania

From the BBJ today:

Romania faces workforce crisis


19 Jul 2007
bbj.hu

Romania faces a workforce crisis, Labor Minister Paul Pacuraru said on Wednesday.

“Demand on the labor market is high. All sizable investors who came to Romania began inquiring whether we can ensure the necessary workforce,” said Paul Pacuraru at a press conference in Iasi, eastern Romania. According to the minister, there is a labor shortage of 25 million persons affecting the entire European Union. As for the settlement of the crisis faced by Romania, Pacuraru said that there are two pools that can cover this deficit: the academic environment - the curricula of which need to be adjusted to the requirements of the labor market - and the rural environment, still insufficiently capitalized on, plus the administrative structures or state-owned companies. Another way to settle the problem, according to the minister, is to bring back home the workforce that migrated abroad. “It's awkward that we import Asian workforce whereas our people leave for work to other countries,” underscored Pacuraru.