What will change in labor legislation starting with 2026?

Pay transparency

Beginning in 2026, Romania will have to align with the requirements of Directive (EU) 2023/970 on equal pay between women and men, by implementing pay transparency measures.

Although individual salaries will not become public, employers will be required, upon employees’ request, to communicate the average pay levels, broken down by gender, for identical or equivalent roles.

The new regulations also target the recruitment process: candidates must be informed, before signing the employment contract, of the base salary or salary range associated with the position. This information must be presented clearly to allow for transparent negotiation.

The deadline for transposing the directive into national legislation is June 7, 2026. Romania will need to introduce effective enforcement and monitoring mechanisms, but concerns remain about whether Romanian society is sufficiently mature to sustain full pay transparency in a context where a strong culture of salary confidentiality still persists.

Reduction of the non-EU worker quota

Starting next year, Romanian companies will be allowed to hire up to 90,000 workers from outside the EU—10,000 fewer than in previous years. This reduction comes despite employers having requested a quota of 150,000 to address the labor shortage. Authorities justify the decision by stating they want to prioritize the employment of Romanian workers.

The government has announced that it will radically change the legislation governing foreign labor and will repeal the current law. The new regulatory act that will establish the rules for entry and employment in Romania for workers from outside the European Union is under development and could enter into force as early as January 1, 2026.