More than 801TPTP3T of employers in Romania plan to increase salaries in 2026, but differentiation in the labor market will increasingly be done through benefits packages and flexible working policies, according to a survey.
”After a year marked by moderate revenue growth, more than 801TPTP3T of employers are planning pay increases in 2026. This year, companies will focus on benefits as a key differentiator, with individual bonuses and health insurance on an upward trend”, says the HR Trends 2026 study, conducted by Randstad Romania.
According to the source cited by Agerpres, the competitive pay and benefits package remains by far the most important factor in attracting talent, followed by work-life balance and flexible working policies.
„For CEOs and HR leaders, 2026 is a year of balancing growth with operational prudence; while most companies are planning salary increases, only 34% expect revenue growth. Leadership must move beyond reactive pay increases and embrace a comprehensive compensation strategy - blending financial and wellness benefits - and AI-driven efficiencies to secure a competitive advantage in a market where 53% of leaders predict technology will reshape the workforce”, said Dagmara Chudzinska-Matysiak, managing director, Randstad Romania, in a statement.
This year, 83% of companies plan to increase wages for white-collar staff (TESA - technical, economic and socio-administrative), while 85% expect increases for blue-collar staff (workers), the source said. Thus, only 17% (for white-collar positions) and 14% (for blue-collar) of employers expect wages to remain unchanged.
Of the companies implementing increases in 2025, 27% reported a pay increase of 4-5% for white-collar employees, compared with 23% for blue-collar roles, highlighting a slightly more cautious approach to operational roles, the research also shows.
The majority of respondents believe that their salary levels are in line with the competition, however 23% admit that they offer below-market remuneration for similar positions, a factor that can complicate recruitment efforts.
Some 38% of companies do not plan to implement/access flexible working arrangements in 2026, while 29% are exploring more agile models such as part-time, project-based, or temporary workforce. An interesting and growing trend is for „Digital Nomad” arrangements, which allow complete location independence to attract niche talent.
In organizations with work-at-home policies, working at home two days a week remains the most common model, while there is a slight increase in fully flexible models compared to last year. New working paradigms are also visible: 3% of employers have implemented the 4-day working week.
According to the study, although salary remains the main driver of staff turnover (79%), employers are also losing talent for non-financial reasons. Thus, 391TPTP3T of departures are due to lack of advancement opportunities, while 291TPTP3T of employees choose to leave due to excessive workload.
In this context, the winners in the „war for talent” will be those who invest in role design and organizational culture, offering more than just pay adjustments.
The research also shows that in 2025, 371TPTP3T of companies expanded their workforce, 381TPTP3T kept it stable and 251TPTP3T reduced the number of employees.
Most of the increases were limited to 1-6%, while more significant growth of over 15% was reported by 22% of the expanding companies.
„Looking ahead, 301TPTP3T of respondents plan to increase headcount in 2026, with business development remaining the main reason for hiring, albeit at slightly lower levels than in previous years. Hiring demand is strongest in engineering and manufacturing, while hiring intentions in customer relations departments have declined, which could be a sign of the consequences of automation, given that 44% of companies plan to integrate AI into this area”say the authors.
Attracting talent, especially in IT and sales, remains a challenge - not only because of salary expectations (considered unrealistic by 49% of employers), but also because of a real skills shortage: half of companies report a lack of industry-specific experience among candidates.
Hiring from non-EU/EEA (European Economic Area) countries remains limited but stable, with 6% of companies preferring white-collar positions and 15% preferring blue-collar positions, the source said.
On the other hand, 381TPTP3T of companies actively support and plan to expand the use of AI, up from 351TPTP3T in 2025. Launching new IT and AI systems are among the fastest growing measures adopted to address HR challenges. Of note, more than half of business leaders foresee a potential decrease in jobs due to automation.