Economic migration and challenges in an emerging Eastern European destination country: evidence about immigrant labor market integration in Romania

Abstract In this paper we aim to investigate the effects and outcomes of the integration system and reveal through data analysis the experiences of immigrants coming to Romania. Traditionally a country of emigration, Romania is becoming an emerging immigrant destination, with people coming from countries like Nepal, Vietnam, China. The study relies on a data set collected in two stages in 2017 (N=537) and 2018 (N=645), amongst immigrants residing in Romania. Measures of labor market integration were analysed from a multidimensional perspective, mapping out patterns of integration as well as the experiences and challenges faced by the newcomers in their attempt to obtain a satisfactory employment status. The results indicate that Romania is becoming an emerging immigration destination, experiencing a steady increase and diversification of immigration flow. In 2018, the number of those that come here to work exceeded the number of those that came to study, representing the second most important reason of entry after those who came for family reunion (IGI 2018).