Page 14 - Nearshoring to Romania
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The Romanian education system focuses on theoretical knowledge, thus employees have a
solid background they can build on during their career;
Especially compared to the surrounding countries, Romanians have excellent language
skills. All educated persons speak English. If needed it is relatively easy to find people that
speak Russian, Italian, Spanish, German and Hungarian;
The job market in Romania is lively, so when a vacancy is announced there is usually a lot of
response. This enables a company to build up a team of substantial size quickly;
The wages in Romania are lower than those in the Netherlands; in 2012 the net wages in
Romania were the equivalent of 25-75% of those in the Netherlands, depending on the
industry and the employee's qualification;
Ø Culture
Cultural differences between Romania and the Netherlands are relatively small in
comparison with the cultural differences between the Netherlands and the countries in the Far
East.More information on the Romanian culture can be found in paragraph 2.4.2.
The Romanian work ethics is generally good, including the following positive aspects:
w Flexibility
w Motivation
w Hard work
w Overtime
w Willingness to travel
Ø General Business climate
Romania is part of the EU and NATO
There is a big and active international business community in Romania, which makes it easy
o get support
There are frequent flights from the Netherlands to Romania (2-3 times a day)
Office space and other local expenses are cheaper than in the Netherlands
Internet connection: Romania ranks top in Europe when it comes to internet speed (along with
the Netherlands);
2.4.2 To keep in mind
Working in Romania is not without challenges; companies that consider nearshoring to Romania should
keep the following things in mind.
Ø Culture
Time and punctuality are not considered as important as they are perceived in the
Netherlands;
While organization, communication, own initiative and planning are considered essential
kills in the Dutch work environment, the Romanian work environment focuses more on the
employees' technical skills. For example:'is he a good programmer?';'is she a good engineer?'.
This links with the Romanian educational system, which puts accent on theoretical
knowledge rather than initiative and originality.
The Romanian work environment is more hierarchical than in the Netherlands.
Questioning the decisions of superiors is not something that is common, or appreciated.
This view of the workplace also means it is harder for Romanians to admit a mistake than
it is for Dutch employees.
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Nearshoring to Romania, NRCC 2013
