Regional study by Undelucram.ro: Employee expectations vs. company offerings: 43% of Romanian employees are dissatisfied with their salary and half of them expect salaries to stagnate in the next two years. 63% would leave for a higher income.

Only 13% of companies would significantly revise their salary policy in the next year.

- A better compensation package (salary and benefits) is the main reason for changing jobs in all five countries participating in the study: Romania, Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Greece, and Hungary.

- Greece, the country with the highest percentage of employees who haven't received a raise in the past two years. Hungary, the country with the highest percentage of employees dissatisfied with their salaries.

- 51% of employees expect salaries to stagnate in the next two years.

- 8% of employees in the five countries participating in the study do not have any kind of extra-salary benefit.
 

43% of Romanian employees are dissatisfied with their salary, and for 63% of them a higher income would be the main reason to change jobs. Employers are aware of the situation, but given the economic context, only 13% of them would significantly increase salaries in the next year, and 44% would do so punctually, according to the study "Salaries and benefits – balancing expectations and offer" conducted this year by Undelucram.ro, the largest online employee community in Romania and one of the most important in Central and Eastern Europe.

The survey was conducted between April 15 – June 1 this year and included responses from 8,898 employees aged between 18–65 from Romania, Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Greece, and Hungary. For a better understanding of the dynamics between employees and employers, the study also involved 990 HR specialists from the same countries.

The full report containing 39 pages of comparative data, strategic insights, and visuals for the five countries is available at this link.

"The study shows us through figures a reality we already feel,Romanian employees, but also those from the other participating countries, want higher salaries, but are aware that the next two years will be difficult and most likely incomes will stagnate. HR specialists know what people want, and 44% are considering punctual adjustments and 13% even significant ones. We can say that employers are increasingly attentive to employee needs and are adapting their compensation packages to satisfy them, but at the same time they remain very attentive to the course of the economy. If until recently we were talking about optimism and ambitious growth, today the key words are caution, adaptation, and balance, both for employees and employers. In an uncertain economic context, every step is carefully calculated, but it is clear that the dialogue between the two sides is becoming increasingly important," said Costin Tudor, CEO of Undelucram, part of the wherewework network.

Data shows that 72% of employees are thinking about changing their job, 28% of them are already looking, and 44% would take this step only if a very good opportunity appeared. 13% are satisfied with their current job, and 8% are considering a change in 6–12 months. Those thinking most about changing jobs are Moldovans, 79% of them considering this possibility, followed by Bulgarians (74%). Greeks are tied with Romanians at 72%, and last are Hungarians, 68% of whom are thinking about changing their job.

A better package (salary and benefits) is the main reason for changing jobs in all five countries

A more attractive compensation package (salary and benefits) is the main reason for choosing another job in all the countries participating in the study. In second place, in Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Bulgaria, is a flexible schedule and the possibility to work remotely, while in Greece and Hungary, second place is occupied by the desire for a more pleasant work environment (team, manager, organizational culture). Work environment is the third reason why Romanians would change their job (13%), followed by professional development opportunities (6%).

At the level of the five participating countries, 3% of employees would choose another job for soft & life skills reasons (assertive communication, empathy, resilience).

Almost 20% of Romanian employees believe their work is worth more than 3,000 euros

Approximately 33% of Romanian respondents have salaries below 1,000 euros, 27% earn between 1,000–1,500 euros, 18% between 1,500–2,000 euros, 14% between 2,000 and 3,000 euros, and 7% over 3,000 euros. In fact, salaries in Romania are the highest in the region – for example, 70% of Moldovans have salaries under 1,000 euros and 6% of Hungarians have salaries over 3,000 euros.

Most Romanian employees, 27%, believe a fair salary would be between 1,500 and 2,000 euros, and 18% believe their work is worth more than 3,000 euros. 6% of employees say they would deserve a salary between 500 and 1,000 euros. In comparison, 20% of employees in the Republic of Moldova think they should earn between 500 and 1,000 euros, and 40% between 1,000 and 1,500 euros. Most Bulgarians (32%) and Hungarians (36%) believe they deserve 1,500–2,000 euros, and most Greeks (39%) believe a salary of 1,000–1,500 euros would be appropriate. Thus, in terms of salary expectations, Romanians and Hungarians are the most similar, with about 16% of Hungarians wanting a salary over 3,000 euros, similar to the 18% of Romanians.

Greece, the country with the highest percentage of employees who haven’t had a salary increase in the last two years. Hungary, the country with the highest percentage of employees dissatisfied with salaries.

Romanians want higher salaries considering that in the last two years percentage salary increases have not been significant, while inflation has been constant. Thus, most Romanian employees (29%) had their salary increased by 5–10%, and 26% had no raise in the last two years. Notably, Greece is the country in the region with the highest percentage of employees (44%) who have not had a raise in the last two years, and Republic of Moldova is the country with the highest percentage of employees (14%) whose salary increased by over 20%.

In conclusion, 43% of Romanian employees are dissatisfied with their current salary (13% very dissatisfied), 26% are neutral, 27% are satisfied, and 4% are very satisfied. The most dissatisfied in the region are Hungarians (59%), followed by Bulgarians (56%), Greeks and Moldovans (both with 48%).

The most common benefits received by employees in Romania are meal vouchers (68%), private medical insurance (56%), flexible/remote work schedule (40%), performance bonuses (32%), additional vacation days (28%), parties, teambuildings, and internal events (24%), training and professional development (19%), reimbursed transport (18%), access to learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning (18%), subscriptions to wellness/sport services like 7card, SanoPass (16%), life insurance (12%), private medical insurance for family members (10%).

In the Republic of Moldova, the most frequently offered benefits are meal vouchers and performance bonuses; in Bulgaria, meal vouchers and private medical insurance prevail; in Greece, the situation is similar (but medical insurance is in first place followed by vouchers), while in Hungary the most common benefits are performance bonuses, flexible/remote work, and internal events.

8% of employees in the region do not have extra-salary benefits

Approximately 8% of respondents from all five countries declared that they do not benefit from any extra-salary advantage. Also, the most frequently mentioned benefits outside the list suggested by Undelucram.ro were: flexible benefits budget (10%), followed by gift vouchers (7%), company car and contribution to optional pension (Pillar 3) both with 6%.

If they were to stay in the same company, the main reasons that would keep Romanian employees are: salary increase (85%), advancement and development opportunities (52%), higher performance bonuses (45%), flexible working hours (38%), and more extensive medical insurance (22%).

Salary increase is the main factor for staying in a company in all the studied countries.

At the same time, for 21% of respondents in the five countries, an empathetic, professional leadership without micro-management, based on fairness, communication, and support, is the main factor that determines them to stay in the company long term.

Half of the employees expect salaries to stagnate in the next two years.

If they received an offer 20% higher than their current income, but the increase would be in benefits, not money, 48% would decide depending on the benefits offered, 31% would say “yes” directly, and 21% would refuse.

Approximately 51% of employees expect salaries to stagnate in the next two years, and 37% expect moderate increases. About 6% are more optimistic and believe in significant increases in salaries and benefits, while 5% expect income cuts. In Greece, Bulgaria, and Hungary, most employees also expect stagnation, while in the Republic of Moldova most employees count on moderate growth.

If they were to add benefits to the current package, 50% of Romanian employees would choose a budget for flexible benefits (a monthly budget the employee can use based on personal needs: sport, health, education, transport etc.), 48% would want additional vacation days, 44% vacation cards or cultural vouchers, 43% more flexible working hours (work from anywhere), 36% a budget for professional and personal development, 34% extended medical insurance (for family or additional services), 25% sport, wellness, therapy, or nutrition subscriptions tied with parental support (after-school, kindergarten, child vouchers).

The flexible benefits budget is the top option for improving the compensation package in all countries in the study.

Approximately 34% of HR specialists say the average monthly value of benefits offered to employees is 100–200 euros, while 23% declare 200–400 euros per month. About 21% of employers say employees receive benefits worth 50–100 euros, 12% say they offer benefits below 50 euros, and 3% declare their teams do not receive any benefits. At the opposite end, 6% of HR experts say that in their companies, benefits exceed 400 euros monthly.

Regarding the structure of benefits in the next two years, 48% of HR specialists have not planned changes, 33% are considering new benefits, 12% want to increase the budget, and 6% expect cost cuts. Opinions are similar regionally, with most experts not planning changes for the coming years.

Also, in all five countries, employers say the main retention factor is the compensation package (base salary and benefits), 40% of HR specialists in Romania stating this. In the other countries, percentages range between 43% in Hungary and 58% in the Republic of Moldova. HR experts also say Romanian employees stay for the organizational culture (25%), work-life balance (22%), advancement opportunities (8%), and management (5%).

Almost half of Romanian employers are considering punctual salary adjustments.

Around 44% of Romanian employers are thinking about punctual adjustments to the salary policy, 13% want significant ones, and 13% do not plan any such changes.

The main methods by which HR specialists in Romania gather employee feedback are individual discussions (64%), internal surveys (43%), 40% through external resources like review platforms, and 34% from informal discussions. 12% do not actively gather feedback.

In comparison, in the Republic of Moldova, 74% of employers do not gather feedback; in Bulgaria, individual discussions (33%) and informal ones (31%) predominate; in Greece, informal discussions (37%) and internal surveys (36%); while in Hungary, 40% of companies do not actively gather feedback.

Study information:

For the study “Salaries and benefits – balancing expectations and offer,” 8,898 employees aged 18–65 and 990 HR specialists from Romania, Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Greece, and Hungary responded.

The survey was conducted between April 15, 2025 – June 1, 2025.

The employees and employers who responded are from the following fields: IT&C, BPO & services, manufacturing, engineering, retail (non-food), healthcare & pharma, banking, industrial production, consultancy, retail (food), telecommunications, restaurants & cafes, insurance & non-banking financial institutions.

Also, 46% of Romanian employees are seniors, 32% work in mid-level roles, 14% in management, and 8% are beginners. Regarding contract type, 90% are employed on indefinite contracts, 6% on fixed-term, 1% as freelancers, and 2% as collaborators (project/partnership).

The full report containing 39 pages of data analyzing the balance between employee expectations and company offerings from the five countries is available at this link.

The study reflects a complex reality, in which employees in the region, especially in Romania, feel an increasingly pronounced discrepancy between the effort made and the reward received. Although there is dissatisfaction and high expectations regarding salaries and benefits, there is also a common desire for balance and adaptation. In this context, building an empathetic, flexible, and feedback-friendly work environment becomes key to long-term employee retention and motivation. The future belongs to those who understand that success is measured not only in numbers but also in the organization's ability to align its policies with the real needs of people.