How can you balance productivity, costs, and team motivation in temporary work when economic conditions are shifting?
The year 2025 brought economic changes for employers in Romania. Against the backdrop of rising taxes and inflation, managers decided to put business development and recruitment on hold. On the other hand, candidates have increasingly high expectations from their future job and are selective in choosing it. The HR Insights study, conducted by the Association of Human Resources Service Providers (AFSRU), shows that the main concern for 58% of employers is adapting to the new economic conditions (compared to 51% in 2024). With restricted budgets, most employers try to manage everything internally. The HR Insights 2025 study shows that:
- 39% of companies use exclusively internal resources to cover urgent staffing needs,
- 31% rely on internal recommendations,
- only 24% collaborate with a temporary work agency.
In short: the pace has accelerated, and the pressure on internal HR teams and on productivity is higher than ever.
However, traditional recruitment methods no longer cover real needs, especially when activity peaks or short-term projects must be managed. Not coincidentally, the AFSRU study shows that temporary work has become a strategic solution, especially in a market where rapid access to the workforce becomes a competitive advantage. 39% of companies use temporary work as part of a strategic mix alongside internal task redistribution, collaboration with freelancers, external partnerships, or fixed-term projects.
If you are facing situations such as:
- pressure to deliver results without increasing fixed costs,
- a lack of available candidates when projects become urgent,
- roles that remain vacant for weeks on end
then the data from 2025 confirms what you have probably already felt: flexibility, speed of adaptation, and access to external resources are becoming essential elements for competitiveness. flexibilitatea, viteza de adaptare si accesul la resurse externe devin elemente esentiale pentru competitivitate.
In 2026, temporary work and smart HR outsourcing will not just be options — but strategic components in a constantly changing labor market. Discover how the labor market is shaping up in 2026, based on data and business situations encountered in 2025.
Temporary work becomes part of HR strategy
Almost 40% of companies in Romania use temporary work not only as a rapid response to staff shortages, but as an integrated element of their human resources strategy, according to the AFSRU study. This approach brings clear benefits: operational flexibility, the ability to quickly scale teams, and access to available resources during periods of volume fluctuation.
Mariana Vaida, CEO of Smartemp, highlights the situations faced by employers who do not have a recruitment and business strategy:
“For temporary work, demand has been constant, especially for blue-collar employees. However, candidate seriousness remains a challenge. In a recent project, out of 130 candidates, only 20 reached the interview stage and 3 were hired. This situation shows that it is not enough for candidates to be available; it is essential that they are prepared and suitable for the role. A personnel leasing agency actively supports this through CV screening, testing, and candidate counseling, so that the employer receives people who perform from day one.”
The active population is declining, and recruitment pressure is increasing
According to the OECD – Labour Market Review Romania 2025, the active population (ages 15–64) is in structural decline, which generates fewer available candidates, higher competition even for entry-level roles, and the need for flexible solutions to cover open positions. In this context, Mariana Vaida emphasizes the increasingly important role of temporary work: In acest context, Mariana Vaida subliniaza rolul tot mai important al muncii temporare:
“Companies need flexibility. They can no longer wait for the ideal candidate. Temporary work allows for the rapid coverage of open positions, testing people in short projects, and maintaining operational continuity without affecting the business.”
The skills gap remains the main challenge
The lack of skills strongly affects sectors such as manufacturing, construction, logistics, healthcare, and technical/digital fields, according to the FIC Study – White Paper 2025.
Mariana Vaida highlights a shift in candidate behavior that is becoming the norm in the labor market:
“Good candidates are becoming increasingly demanding, but remarkably, even unqualified candidates have high expectations from their future job. For employers, this means that candidate availability does not guarantee performance. A rigorous selection process, interviews, and rapid training are needed to ensure effective integration into the team.”
Flexibility – the condition set by candidates to accept temporary work offers
Recent studies show that workers—both temporary and permanent—are increasingly seeking flexible schedules, transparency regarding tasks, hours, and pay, as well as clear and predictable communication. Mariana Vaida explains how the remote trend influences candidate expectations:
“Many candidates refuse jobs without flexibility or without a remote work option. Remote work should be seen as a partnership between employee and employer, not just as a benefit. However, this model brings challenges: workdays get longer, emails arrive late, and managers must balance employee freedom with company policies. Flexibility must mean clarity, not disorganization.”
Lower costs and faster processes through digitalization and outsourcing
For small and medium-sized companies, HR outsourcing can reduce operational costs by 20–25%, according to a PwC study. At the same time, it provides access to expertise without requiring an extensive internal department. This approach allows for efficient management of both temporary and permanent employees, better control of legal compliance, and increased focus on business objectives.
“It’s proven that outsourcing HR functions reduces operational costs by 20–25%, according to the PwC Workforce Expectations and Challenges Romania 2024 report. In recent years, we’ve seen growing awareness in this area. We now get requests from Romanian companies, not just multinationals. This openness comes from management changes and a stronger focus on measurable business results. The financial savings from HR outsourcing are public and well-documented. Even HR departments themselves can be outsourced — not every company can afford an internal HR team or manager,” says Vaida.
The results showing the savings achieved through HR outsourcing are public. HR departments can also be outsourced, because not all companies can afford an internal HR department or an HR manager. By outsourcing human resources activities, companies gain a trusted business partner. (Mariana Vaida, CEO Smartemp)
For optimizing activity and costs, Adrian Dinu (CEO Creasoft) supports increased HR digitalization:
“Digitalizing HR processes reduces wasted time and increases productivity. For example, changing the minimum wage for 2,000 employees and sending documents for signing takes less than 2 minutes thanks to electronic signatures and digital management. AI and the right software allow companies to save time and resources without giving up on people.”
Demand for temporary workers is generally stable
Demand for blue-collar employees remains constant, while in the white-collar segment employers are focused on hiring specialists who bring value to the business. According to HR Insights 2025, only 24% of companies work with temporary work agencies, 39% use internal resources, and 31% rely on recommendations.
Mariana Vaida, CEO Smartemp, highlights the challenges companies may face if they do not work with temporary work agencies: “Even if demand for temporary workers is stable, employers must pay attention to candidate seriousness. A rigorous selection process and training regarding job responsibilities are essential to avoid absenteeism and mismatches.”
Employee motivation increasingly depends on flexible benefits and leadership
“How do I attract candidates?” “How do I keep employees motivated?” These are probably your concerns. What you need to do is look beyond salary. Anca Decu (UP Romania) highlights the role of flexible benefits:
“Benefit flexibility allows employees to choose what suits them, while HR can control long-term costs. Cultural vouchers, Pillar 3, and holiday vouchers are among the most requested. Thus, HR becomes a strategic partner that contributes to profitability and to the balance between costs and satisfaction.”
Răzvan Bratu (Honeywell Corporate Vice President) also emphasizes the role of leaders in motivating employees:
“Leaders are the key to success. Organizational culture, involvement, and clarity of shared objectives generate retention and performance. Even in hybrid work, teams align when they have a common purpose and leaders who understand people’s needs.”
How to use temporary work effectively in 2026
For strong business results, consider:
- collaborating with agencies that offer full selection, training, and administration;
- turning temporary work into a strategy, not an emergency solution;
- using workers in temporary roles or short-term projects/campaigns/promotions;
- providing clarity and short onboarding;
- creating career plans with the possibility of transitioning from temporary to permanent jobs to test candidates.
How SMARTEMP Helps You Reduce the Costs of Hiring and Managing Temporary Workers
SMARTEMP, a company with 13 years of experience in personnel leasing and 10 years of collaboration with multinationals, provides a complete service package (recruitment, personnel administration – contracts, addenda, payroll, benefits, declarations), all integrated into a transparent monthly fee per employee, which includes:
Gross salary
Tailored to your requirements and market standards, in line with legal minimums or agreed pay scales.
Legal contributions and taxes
All statutory contributions (pension, health, work insurance, income tax) are paid by SMARTEMP as the legal employer, ensuring:
- Full compliance with labor law
- No risk of penalties or lawsuits
Admin and operational costs
The SMARTEMP personnel leasing offer covers everything you would otherwise handle internally:
- personnel file management, contracts, Reges Online
- Tracking attendance and payroll
- Legal assistance and continuous HR support
Recruitment and selection services
SMARTEMP takes care of:
- Job ad promotion
- CV screening and pre-interviews
- Interview scheduling and onboarding
All these processes are expensive to run internally — from job post fees to recruiter time — and a bad hire can cost up to 30% of the employee’s annual salary, according to Forbes. Forbes.
Ongoing coordination and management
You also benefit from:
- A dedicated project manager
- Monthly reporting
- Fast staff replacement (covering absences, leave, turnover)
Request a personalized personnel leasing offer at office@smartemp.ro or call 0738 662 370.
The labor market in 2026 will be shaped by the ability to respond to economic conditions, increased expectations regarding flexibility, and the accelerated need for HR digitalization and outsourcing. Adopt temporary work as a strategic tool, be open to digitalizing all time-consuming HR processes, outsource human resources activities to agencies that can handle the entire hiring process, and offer flexible benefits. Make sure teams have leaders people believe in and follow. In this way, as an HR leader, you will contribute to the company’s stability, agility, and long-term success.
Sources:
AFSRU – HR Insights 2025 (2025)
OECD – Labour Market Review Romania 2025
ANOFM – Statistical Overview of Unemployment as of September 30, 2025 (2025) – official data on unemployment and workforce availability
- FIC Study – White Paper 2025
PwC – Workforce Expectations and Challenges Romania (2024)
Read also:
The Benefits Temporary Employees Want for Christmas
How the Temporary Labor Market Evolved in 2025. Insights from HR Leaders on Supporting Flexibility
