Social Security began the year with 37,183 fewer foreign affiliates than at the end of 2023, remaining above 2.63 million workers, which is 12.8% of total employment. The declines affect most activities, notably hospitality and commerce, reflecting a cautious hiring environment in the early months of the year.
According to data released on Friday by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, over the last twelve months the average affiliation of workers from other countries grew by 8.1%, adding 196,034 employed individuals. This signals a steady infusion of international labor into the economy, even as some sectors experience seasonal adjustments.
Of the total foreign affiliates, 56.2% are men and 43.8% are women. Additionally, 32.4% come from European Union countries (852,163), while 67.6% originate from non-EU nations (1,779,430). The largest groups by nationality include Romania (328,464), Morocco (318,750), Italy (173,458), Colombia (174,388), and Venezuela (146,469). These figures, reported by the ministry, shed light on the diverse origins of foreign workers and their contribution to the labor market.
By regimes, 83.4% of foreign affiliates are in the general regime, totaling nearly 2.2 million workers. This figure falls 1.65% from December, with declines across most sectors. Notable decreases occur in administrative activities (down 4.1% to 213,239), hospitality (down 3.1% to 346,150), commerce (down 1.8% to 283,121), and the agricultural system (down 2.18% to 224,427).
In the last twelve months, however, the general regime rose by 8.4%. The momentum comes from hospitality (up 13.7%), construction (11.8%), health-related activities (11.5%), scientific and technical activities (10.8%), and financial activities (10.8%). On the downside, employment in activities and organizations and the extraterritorial bodies declined slightly (-0.2%), while the agricultural special regime fell by 0.9%. Home care continues to remain stable overall.
Foreign employed self-employment
Meanwhile, the independent worker regime (RETA) recorded 431,345 foreign affiliates, essentially unchanged from December and up 6.5% year over year. Within the self-employed cohort, 14.8% originate from China, 11% from Romania, and 8.8% from Italy. Among the activities with the most registrations, commerce surpasses 100,000, hospitality exceeds 72,000, while the information and communications sector shows the strongest growth in the past year, up 20%.
The Social Security system also notes that, by January, there are 65,511 affiliates from Ukraine, an increase of 18,252 compared with January 2022, the month before the war began its impact. These figures illustrate how geopolitical events can influence migrant labor flows and the broader labor market dynamics.
In seasonally adjusted terms, the number of foreign affiliates stands at 2.7 million, with January adding 24,056 workers and reaching the highest level of foreign-origin contributors to date. This adjusted metric shows that since February 2020 the system has recorded a rise of more than 546,748 workers from other countries, underscoring a sustained contribution of international labor to the national economy.