The Concordia Employers' Confederation is calling on the Government to take the responsible decision of keeping the minimum wage at its current level for 2026, thereby protecting jobs and economic stability, a statement sent to AGERPRES on Thursday said.
The Confederation argues that after a cumulative increase of approximately 85% over the past five years - one of the fastest in the EU - the Romanian economy needs time to adapt and consolidate existing jobs.
The private sector can no longer absorb additional costs, and any increase in the minimum wage would affect even low-income employees by reducing employment opportunities and putting further pressure on business costs, the employers' organisation said.
According to Concordia, maintaining the current minimum wage supports several critical objectives: predictability - stabilising company costs during a period of heightened economic and fiscal volatility; employee security - protecting vulnerable jobs; avoiding inflation - preventing chain effects that would amplify inflationary pressures and erode real wages; limiting the informal economy - increases beyond market absorption capacity would accelerate undeclared work and generate significant budget losses; and protecting competitiveness - Romanian exporters are already under pressure from falling international demand and competition in external markets.
Concordia emphasises that sustainable wage increases can only come with gains in productivity and competitiveness, not solely through administrative decisions. 'We will be able to support higher wages as Romania transitions to a high value-added economy with people possessing the right skills for these industries,' the Confederation stated.
As levers for real economic growth and competitiveness, Concordia supports fiscal stability and predictability; administrative simplification and debureaucratisation; easy access to European funds; accelerated digitalisation; investment in digital skills and professional training; concrete support for research and development; appropriate financial instruments for SMEs; and more efficient state spending.
According to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, a decision on the minimum wage for 2026 will be taken next week, and an emergency ordinance on the matter will be adopted.
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