Almost one in five Romanians aged between 15 and 29 is not working and is not pursuing studies, placing Romania last in the EU.

According to Eurostat, 19.4% of young Romanians aged 15 to 29 are not employed and are not involved in education, a percentage almost double compared to the EU average of 11%. Romania is far from the EU goal of reducing this percentage to below 9% by 2030. Expert Radu Cristian Proca emphasizes that young people often choose to emigrate or work illegally, and the lack of education contributes to poor decisions. Romania also has the largest discrepancy between urban and rural areas regarding youth unemployment.