Interest among Romanians in part-time jobs has increased compared to last year, according to an online recruitment platform. In the June-September period there were, on average, approximately 60 candidates per job opening.

An announcement posted by a cafe in Cluj-Napoca for a barista position, with no required experience and flexible hours, gathered over 60,000 views on social media and 170 applications. Owner Serghei Savin said that most applicants are students and that he received CVs even from Bucharest.

After an initial selection, 15 candidates made it to the interview, including Anastasia, a first-year student, who says she wants supplementary income to depend less on her family. A representative of the recruitment company explained that more and more students are seeking employment, possibly also due to higher costs, which make parents less willing to provide them with complete financial independence.

According to the cited platform, 1.3 million applications for part-time jobs have been registered nationwide since the beginning of the year, 13% more than in the same period last year.