Employment opportunities created by the domestic business environment are bringing home Romanians working abroad and cast doubt on the necessity of employing expats, as many Romanians have been trained to meet the necessary requirements of companies today.
"So far, we have around five repatriates who have been with the group for a few months. These individuals work in the business development area, in retail, mainly as project managers, in mergers & acquisitions and in finance. As a general background, these individuals are aged between 27 and 35. They acquired their international experience in consulting, auditing, project management, business development and banking," says Camelia Crangus, human resources vice-president of Rompetrol petroleum group.
Returning individuals tend to be employed in the departments of Romanian companies that are starting to take shape, but where there is an insufficient amount of staff with the necessary skills, as was the case 15 years ago, when there was a shortage of well-trained marketing employees.
The repatriation of Romanians has become a valid way to recruit staff, given that the opportunities provided by the domestic business environment have met the level of expertise attained by Romanians working abroad. At the same time, the trend is reversing. It is not only companies that are interested in bringing back Romanian expertise, but also Romanians living abroad are starting to look for domestic companies in order to return home.
"We are identifying the key areas where we need such "insertions", and then we start looking. We require people who know what a Romanian company is all about, including its culture and legislation, and who can take the company to a new level," says Crangus. The trend in repatriation will not, however, remove expats from Romanian companies, but does raise a few questions, as a secon
