Some 10% Of Romania's Work Force Went Abroad

Some 8-10% of the Romanian population aged between 15 and 64 is left to work abroad, namely 2.7 million people, and Romania needs immigration policies for those working abroad, for those coming back and for regional development.

Sociologist Dumitru Sandu presented Thursday, within a debate, three directions that Romania needs on the migration segment.

Thus, Sandu states policies focusing on labor abroad, immigrations, because Romania will become an immigration country in 8-12 years, and policies regarding migration and development, as migration policies need to be considered on a regional development basis.

"Romania lacks a connection between the migration policy and the development policy. In Romania, there is a deficit in three directions, namely a normative deficit, a vision deficit and a data deficit. The immigration segment is covered much better than the emigration segment from a legislative standpoint," Sandu said.

He said that in 2008 Romanians abroad sent back to Romania EUR6 billion, namely 5% of the GDP.

"Some 35-40% of 7.3 million households have living standards influenced by money coming from abroad. Departures abroad led to a widening of gaps, as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer," Dumitru Sandu said.

mediafax.ro