Expert-Grup

Labour market reform and priorities for 2026 discussed at a new meeting of the "Labour Market Development" Working Group

Tuesday, 23 December 20251076 views
Labour market reform and priorities for 2026 discussed at a new meeting of the "Labour Market Development" Working Group

Automatically translated summary. The full article is available in Romanian.

The Labour Market Development Working Group (No. 6) of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister met to discuss the labour ministry's reform priorities under the new Government's work plan and to approve the group's 2026 work plan. The meeting was chaired by Sergiu Harea and attended by Minister Natalia Plugaru and civil society representatives.

Minister Plugaru listed the main labour market challenges: a high share of inactive population, a mismatch between skills and market needs, labour shortages in urban centres alongside a lack of opportunities elsewhere, intense migration of the working-age population and persistent informal work. Discussion covered active employment measures, transposition of the EU acquis on free movement of workers under the 2025-2029 National Accession Programme, and a new National Employment Programme for 2027-2030.

Business representatives asked for genuine public consultation with sufficient time and account taken of their proposals. Civil society called for amending the law on volunteering to cover all age groups and recognise volunteering experience in hiring, and for more active employment measures for young NEETs, including adjusting and extending the first-job allowance for young people. The event was part of the project "Support for Labour Market Reform", funded by the Soros Foundation Moldova and implemented by Expert-Grup from November 2024 to October 2026.

View the original article in Romanian