“Kaufland Romania (…) provides about 100 new jobs with every new store opened. We’ve opened two stores, in Lugoj and Brasov, since the beginning of the year and have three more planned by the end of calendar 2017, says Valer Hancas, corporate affairs and communication manager of Kaufland Romania.
The company will hire another 500 people this year. The second largest actor on this market, Carrefour, in turn announced it already had 17,100 employees and would add another about 800 by yearend.
Discount store chains Lidl and Penny Market, too, have announced expansion plans and the hiring of 500 people each. Profi and Mega Image will continue to lead by expansion rate, so they will be hiring, as well.
The fast-paced expansion has turned retailers into some of the biggest employers in Romania’s economy. However, about 90% to 95% of their employees work in stores on positions that used to pay minimum wage. The more difficult labor market made retailers start raising wages in the past few years, though.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)