Over 26,000 jobs have been posted on eJobs since the beginning of the month, with nearly 5% being remote, marking a half decrease from the same period last year. “2024 seems to continue the trend towards a shift back to the office or at least a transition from remote to hybrid work. In the first month of the year, we observe an increase in office-presence job listings and a decline in those allowing employees to work from home,” says Bogdan Badea, CEO of eJobs, Romania’s largest recruitment platform.
Of the over 1,200 remote positions opened in January, half were posted by employers in the call-center/BPO sector. A quarter belong to insurance companies, and the rest, in descending order, to those in IT/telecom, services, education/training, financial/banking, and advertising/marketing PR. “At the beginning of last year, we had more remote jobs and a different hierarchy of industries open to this working style. Insurance took the top spot in the rankings, followed by IT/telecom, advertising, retail, media/internet, and only then call center/BPO,” lists Bogdan Badea.
Approximately three-quarters of the positions target entry-level candidates, while the percentage of remote jobs aimed at highly senior or managerial candidates remains marginal. “In fact, entry-level candidates are the ones who apply the most for positions that allow them to work from home. Some of them do this to be able to take on a second job. On the other hand, when it comes to managers, employers often require office presence at least two or three days a week,” explains Bogdan Badea.
Regarding applications, the numbers show an inversely proportional trend: while employers predominantly advertise positions that require office presence, candidates are increasingly interested in the option to work from home. Thus, while 4.1% of the total number of jobs are remote, the percentage of applications for these positions increases to 14% of the total applications. Of the 1 million applications recorded in January, almost 140,000 went to these types of jobs. Most applied for jobs in the market were from employers in call center/BPO, IT/telecom, retail, services, and advertising/marketing/PR.
According to Salario, eJobs’ salary comparator, the average net salary nationwide for those working remotely is 5,000 lei per month. “The work mode – remote or office-based – does not necessarily influence the salary offered at hiring, but those working exclusively from home may miss out on some of the fringe benefits enjoyed by employees who come to the office, such as transportation reimbursement, on-site massage, employer-provided lunch, or any other type of incentives offered within the workplace,” adds Bogdan Badea.