Romania’s working age population will decline by 44% by 2060, to about 7.51 million people, according to a report by the National Statistics Institute (INS).

The working age population represents all the people aged between 15 and 64.

The decrease will be moderate until 2030 and will accelerate towards the end of the forecast period, which is 2060, reports local Agerpres.

The main factor behind this trend is the natural decline. By 2030, Romania’s working population will maintain around the level of 12 million. After that, the less numerous generations born after 2010 will start entering the working segment while the generations born in the late 1960s and 1970s, when abortions were illegal in Romania, will move towards retirement. This will create imbalances on the labor market.

The mature workforce, aged between 35 and 44, will decrease from 23.1% of the total working population (at January 1, 2015) to 19.5% by 2060. At the same time, the older workforce, 55 to 64, will increase from 20.3% to 23.7% in the next 45 years, according to INS estimates.

editor@romania-insider.com