Romanian workers frequently engage in atypical hours, impacting vulnerable groups; international comparisons show labor issues across Europe.
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Four point six five million Romanian workers, representing 60.5% of the employed population, have worked irregularly or occasionally outside typical hours such as evenings, nights, Saturdays, and/or Sundays. Irregular work is defined by Romanian law as main activities performed in the evening (after 6:00 PM), at night (after 10:00 PM), on Saturdays, Sundays, or shifts. This irregular work disproportionately affects vulnerable groups like women, youth, the elderly, ethnic minorities, migrants, students, and people with disabilities. While this issue is underrepresented in public and academic discourse in Romania, studies show that over 90% of those with atypical schedules work on Saturdays, with evening and Saturday shifts being the most common forms of irregular work. In the non-agricultural sector, 57.6% of employed persons engaged in irregular work, compared to 81.9% in agriculture. A third of salaried workers engage in shift work, heavily concentrated in urban areas and certain sectors like health/social assistance and hospitality. Workers report spending an average of 6.2 hours per week beyond their scheduled time, with 39% stating they simply lack sufficient time to complete tasks. The increase in the gap between active individual employment contracts and salaried workers since early 2012 is attributed to the expansion of irregular work. Flexible work can pose health risks due to circadian rhythm disruption and may mask job precarity through unpredictable schedules. In contrast, Greek workers are among the most working hours in the EU, with many reporting not being paid for overtime, while Lithuanian law limits night work to eight hours and mandates specific protections for vulnerable groups.
