Deloitte study: over a third of Romanian companies fail to find enough employees and the necessary skills for current business needs

More than a third of companies in Romania (35%) fail to find enough employees, and 41% of them face a deficit of necessary skills to meet current business requirements, according to the Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends 2023 study. In this context, organizations are increasingly turning to the so-called "workforce ecosystems", which involve the identification and management of new types of human resources, such as consultants (52% of companies participating in the study), freelancers and subcontractors (50%) or outsourced service centers (38%), which complement the traditional full-time or part-time workforce. Among the measures that companies take in order to amplify the existing workforce, the study highlights the implementation of technological solutions and artificial intelligence (30% of participants).

Globally, the most pressing challenge for the organizations participating in the study is also the difficulty of finding the necessary skills to meet the current business requirements (46%), followed by the need to create an agile workforce (36%) that can allow rapid resizing of teams according to needs.

For the Romanian companies participating in the study, the benefits of a “workforce ecosystem”, consisting of several types of human resources which are managed with the help of strategies and processes designed specifically for this purpose, include increasing the organization's financial performance (41%) and a higher degree of employee retention (29%).

"Ensuring the necessary workforce is one of the persistent issues of employers in Romania, in the context of the low birth rate and of the large number of Romanians who decide to leave the country. More recently, the profound transformations that the business environment is going through as a consequence of the technological advancement and the need to quickly adapt to the new requirements coming from customers and from regulators generate a new challenge for companies: finding employees who have or can develop the right skills. Under these circumstances, the responsibility of creating and managing an adapted workforce no longer rests only with the human resources department but also with top management, as the study results show. The role of leaders is also constantly changing, and their ability to adapt and guide their teams towards innovation and success is more important than ever," said Raluca Bontas, Partner Global Employer Services, Deloitte Romania.

In the view of the Romanian participants in the study, the primary role of leaders is to connect teams, departments and different geographical areas to improve performance (65%), followed by the ability to effectively communicate changes among employees (53%). But, in the near future, their role will mainly be to inspire employees and create a sense of belonging (65%), followed by creating a resilient, adaptable workforce that can learn new skills and take on new roles (47%). However, survey respondents also believe that leaders themselves are resistant to change (41%).

Currently, the Romanian companies participating in the study use technological solutions mainly to facilitate communication and connection of team members from different places through applications such as Zoom or Skype (89%) and to increase the efficiency of employees (72%). On the other hand, within two to four years, respondents believe that technology will be mostly used to anticipate employee needs and guide them in the development process (61%), as well as to analyse in depth how teams interact to accomplish their duties (56%).

The main obstacles in the efforts to use technology as efficiently as possible are the accelerated pace of change (44%), the existing technological infrastructure (28%) and the existing ways of working (28%), according to the Romanian companies participating in the study. But overcoming these barriers could bring important benefits, such as increasing the organization's financial performance (44%) and the employee engagement and well-being (22%).

Deloitte's annual Global Human Capital Trends report is the most extensive study of its kind and is based on a complex analysis of data from respondents around the world working in various industries and departments, mainly in human resources. About 10,000 respondents from 105 countries, including Romania, participated in the most recent edition of this study.

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. The firm’s professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 175-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Its objective is to make an impact that matters through its 457,000 people worldwide.

Deloitte Romania is one of the leading professional services organizations in the country providing, in cooperation with Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal, services in audit, tax, legal, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, business processes as well as technology services and other related services, through over 3,400 professionals.