People are the heart of any business and employers acknowledge this better than ever. This is why recruitment in Romania won’t be paused, on the contrary – almost 90% of employers will have open vacancies for permanent roles in 2024 (see chart 1, right).

Moreover, many companies are turning to workforce contingent solutions such as freelancers and contractors to fill specific roles or complete short-term projects, with an increase of 6% in contingent hirings compared to last year’s survey. This approach allows companies to have more flexibility in their staffing needs and can often be more cost-effective than hiring full-time employees.

Considering recovery and stability are in focus for companies in 2024, retention is a strategic priority and a smart investment for the long-term health and growth of a business. More than half of employers (54%) rank it as their number one priority (see chart 2). According to our survey the average attrition rate in Romanian companies is around 18%, making employee retention even more critical.

In this context, more focus need to be applied to employer branding initiatives. They are fast becoming a key solution in the attraction and retention strategies of forward-thinking organisations. It's interesting to see that the percentage of businesses prioritising employer branding has doubled compared to last year, indicating a growing recognition of the importance of how employees perceive a company in today's competitive talent market.

Salary is an important player when comes to retention and attraction, so salary increases are on the agenda for employers. 54% of companies plan to increase salaries by up to 10%. However, this increase doesn't align with the expectations of 54% of employees, who consider an increase of more than 10% as an optimal raise (see chart 3).