Abstract:

The analysis of the labor market in Romania, in the framework of investments underthe European Social Fund, continues to remain a real challenge, capturing the interest, at  Member States level, of both the authorities responsible for managing structural funds, and  of researchers, representatives of the private sector, public sector and the media. Most figures lately launched by authorities, reflect in particular terms such as "absorption" and "cash on delivery", in short "money spent". The wild rush of growth rates from absorption, in order to fulfill a «decent» position among Member States on the smooth functioning of the funds received, and to avoid blocking payments focused the authorities' attention more to the financial side than on the achievement of output program indicators. Moreover, within the Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007-2013 (“POSDRU”) period, 13 program indicators were established,  relating to people, 4 of which focus on formal education sector, including research, and 10 program indicators refering to the number of structures, partnerships, organizations involved, social partners, analyses and forecasts.
Given this situation, but also taking into consideration the statistics from the Employment and Training sector, this paper aims to analyze the socio-economic impact of the investment by “POSDRU 2007-2013” on the labor market in Romania, providing at the same time a series of recommendations on improving the current situation.