President: Romania To Further Reduce Number of Public Sector Employees

„Under the current legislation only one in seven vacant positions may be filled. This law continues to be valid. (…) It reduces the number of state employees by 5,000 to 8,000 every month,” said the head of state.

Since January, at least 5,000 state employees left the system every month without being laid off, explained the president. To be allowed to hire one state employee seven others must leave, he added.

Prime Minister Emil Boc announced this summer staff spending must not exceed 7.2% of the gross domestic product in 2012, which means hiring in the public sector will be frozen and only one in seven vacancies will be filled.

In 2009, the Government decided, following negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, to keep public sector hiring frozen and fill only one in seven vacancies. The decision was taken through an emergency ordinance and remained valid in 2010 and 2011.