Romania’s public workforce shrinks by over 5,300 jobs in first four months of 2026

In April 2026 Romania’s public sector employed 1,274,999 people, a decline of 5,306 positions compared with the start of the year. The drop equals 2,462 fewer jobs than in March and 31,235 fewer than in April 2025.

Nearly 64 % of the workforce (814,590 staff) is in the central administration, which itself saw a loss of 1,924 employees since January. Within the ministries, the Education Ministry remains the largest employer with 293,742 posts (down 180), followed by the Interior Ministry with 124,892 (down 784). The Defence Ministry added 513 staff to reach 76,688, while Finance and Health ministries fell to 23,542 (‑179) and 18,202 (‑116) respectively.

Local public administration also contracted, with 460,409 employees in municipalities, county councils and related bodies, 3,382 fewer than in January. Reductions were recorded across institutions funded by the state budget, social‑insurance budget and own‑source revenues.