Why are young people not working? First jobs are becoming harder to get

Young people entering Romania’s labour market face a familiar contradiction: employers ask for experience even when applicants are seeking their first job.

Human resources expert Ioana Petrea told Adevărul that the problem appears frequently in recruitment. Many jobs labelled entry-level demand one or two years of experience, knowledge of several software programmes, foreign-language skills and a level of independence that no longer fits a junior position.

A recent study found that 58.6% of young people consider a net income of about 4,000 lei insufficient. Petrea said career-development opportunities can sometimes offset a low starting salary. More than half of young people are willing to accept work unrelated to their studies, she said, a pragmatic response to the need for income that can become risky without a plan to return to their preferred professional path.

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Companies ask for experience from those who are just entering the labour market.

Petrea also reported a rise in applications for entry-level positions and advised candidates to customise their applications and build a professional LinkedIn profile. She warned applicants to learn how to identify false job advertisements and criticised systemic problems in the youth labour market, including employers’ failure to provide feedback.

She said companies should rethink what they ask of candidates without professional experience and the development path they offer after hiring them. In her view, recruiting a junior should be treated as a long-term investment rather than a search for a fully formed employee.

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The young generation is not less willing to work.