Only 10 percent of Roma has had a steady job in the last two years and even though half of them say they work on their own, in reality most work black, according to a recent study issued by the Soros foundation on the Roma situation in Romania.

The jobless rate among the Roma is high compared to the national average. Over half of those questioned for the study said they never worked, while the jobless rate in Romania is of 7.6 percent for 2011.

Around 40 percent of the Roma who work are unskilled workers, 32 percent have skilled jobs, 9 percent work in agriculture while 13 percent are involved in traditional Roma activities, according to the study.

The low education level creates a vicious circle for Roma people, who live in poverty and dependency, do not have free access to local healthcare, are housed in insanitary conditions and are discriminated against.

Two our of ten Roma children do not attend school, mostly due to lack of financial resources. Most worryingly, a quarter of those aged over 16 say they don't know how to read and write, according to the study. Illiteracy is more frequent among women, with a 10 percentage point difference between women and men on declared capacity to read and write.

Similarly, around a quarter of the interviewed Roma did not finish school, while 26 percent attended four grades and 34 percent, only elementary school. Three quarters of the interviewed said they had never left the country, and 69 percent do not intend to leave Romania soon.

Lack of work is the main reason given for migration of Roma beyond Romania's borders, and those who leave are usually aged between 18 and 39. Most of them stay around six months abroad, which shows a migration pattern of frequently leaving and returning, rather than long stays abroad, according to the study.

The Soros Romania study was carried on 1,100 respondents who deemed themselves of Roma ethnicity.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)