Randstad Romania HR Trends 2026 Study: 85% of employers plan salary increases, but the “talent war” shifts to benefits;

• About a quarter of employers acknowledge offering lower salaries than competition;
• 28% of employees leave due to excessive workload;
• 50% of employers struggle with a lack of industry-specific experience, making upskilling a priority for 2026;
• 3% of Romanian employers implemented 4 day work week;
• 53% of respondents think the number of jobs will decrease due to AI.

After a year marked by moderate pay growth, over 80% of employers plan salary increases in 2026, according to the HR Trends 2026 study conducted by Randstad Romania, a leader in the human resources services market. This year, companies will focus on benefits as a key differentiator, with individual bonuses and medical insurance on a growing trend. Competitive salary and benefits packages are by far the most important attributes for attracting talent, followed by work–life balance and flexible working arrangements.

”For CEOs and HR leaders, 2026 represents a year of balancing growth with operational prudence; while the majority of companies plan salary increases, only 34% expect revenue growth. Leadership must move beyond reactive salary hikes to embrace a total compensation strategy—blending financial and wellbeing benefits, and AI-driven efficiency to secure a competitive edge in a market where 53% of leaders foresee technology reshaping the workforce,” says Dagmara Chudzińska-Matysiak, Managing Director, Randstad Romania.

This year, 83% of companies plan to increase salaries for white-collar employees, while 85% estimate increases for blue-collar workers. Only 17% (white-collar) and 14% (blue-collar) of employers expect salaries to remain unchanged. Among companies that implemented increases in 2025, 27% reported salary growth of 4–5% for white-collar employees, compared to 23% for blue-collar roles, highlighting a slightly more cautious approach toward operational roles. Most respondents believe their salary levels are aligned with those of competitors, yet 23% acknowledge offering lower pay than the market for similar positions, a factor that continues to complicate recruitment efforts. 

38% of companies do not plan to have any flexible work arrangements in 2026, while 29% are exploring more agile models like part-time or project-based, or temporary employment.     An interesting increasing trend is “Digital Nomad” arrangements, allowing for total location independence to attract niche talent.

In organisations with home-office policies, working from home two days per week remains the most common setup, and there is a slight increase of fully flexible models, compared with last year, however, a new model is surfacing: 3% of employers have implemented a 4-day work week.    

Why talents leave

The study highlights a stark contrast: although salary remains the primary driver of turnover (79%), employers are losing talent due to non-financial reasons as well. 39% of departures are caused by a lack of advancement opportunities, while 29% of employees choose to leave due to excessive workload.

In this landscape, the winners of the talent war will be those who invest in role design and organizational culture, offering more than just a salary correction.

Hiring and workforce trends in 2026

Workforce dynamics remain relatively balanced. In 2025, 37% of companies expanded their workforce, 38% maintained stable headcount, and 25% reduced staff numbers. Most increases were limited to 1–6%, while more significant growth of over 15% was reported by 22% of expanding companies.

Looking ahead, 30% of companies plan to increase headcount in 2026, with business growth remaining the main driver of hiring, although at slightly lower levels than in previous years. Recruitment demand is strongest in engineering and production, while customer service hiring intentions have declined, which may be an early sign of automation, given that 44% of companies plan AI integration in this area.

Attracting talent, particularly in IT and Sales, remains challenging—not only due to salary expectations (deemed unrealistic by 49% of employers) but also because of a real skills gap: half of the companies report a lack of relevant experience in the market.

Hiring from non-EU/EEA countries is limited but stable, preferred by 6% of companies for white-collar positions and by 15% for blue-collar.

AI and business outlook

Investment in technology is accelerating. 38% of companies actively support and plan to expand the use of AI, up from 35% in 2025. The launch of new IT and AI systems is among the fastest-growing measures adopted to address HR challenges. Notably, more than half of business executives foresee a potential decrease in the number of jobs due to automation. 

Main areas in which AI will be used this year are personnel and HR management, market analysis, development plans and strategies, marketing and advertising, finance and accounting and customer service/support. Nevertheless, about one third of respondent companies do not have a clear view on the use of AI.

AI′s biggest benefits for respondents are automation of repetitive tasks, faster processing of data, more accurate predictions, and higher labour productivity. At the same time, it comes with challenges, as lack of qualified staff to work with AI, high cost of implementing and operating and management distrust of its benefits.

Revenue optimism has dropped from 43% last year to just 34% for 2026, and uncertainty has nearly doubled (19%). Contraction of trade margins and declining market demand are the new main business challenges, alongside rising wage pressure, forcing companies to become more digitally efficient.

The Randstad Romania HR Trends 2026 research is based on a survey, carried out among over 217 business leaders from multiple industries between October and December 2025. For the research, analysis and design of this report, Randstad partners with global research and analytics firm Evalueserve.

About Randstad

Randstad is a global talent leader with the vision to be the world’s most equitable and specialized talent company. As a partner for talent and through our four specializations – Operational, Professional, Digital and Enterprise – we provide clients with the high-quality, diverse and agile workforces that they need to succeed in a talent scarce world. We help people secure meaningful roles, develop relevant skills and find purpose and belonging in their workplace. Through the value we create, we are committed to a better and more sustainable future for all. 

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Randstad operates in 39 markets and has approximately 40,000 employees. In 2024, we supported over 1.7 million talent to find work and generated a revenue of € 24.1 billion. Randstad N.V. is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, see www.randstad.com

Randstad Romania has a presence in Bucharest, Slatina, Sibiu, Brașov, and Timișoara, serving companies seeking an HR partner with in-depth market insights, world-class tools, and local expertise to meet their workforce needs, from recruitment to temporary employment, international mobility, outsourcing, development programs, outplacement, and consulting. With an enthusiastic team of over 100 professionals and more than 2,500 hires annually, Randstad Romania has contributed locally to the evolution of the labour market for over 9 years. For more details, visit www.randstad.ro.