We report, in summary, some of the major changes in 2022 regarding the Labor Code:

Statutory minimum gross wage: as of January 1, 2022, the statutory minimum gross base wage, stipulated in Article 164 para. (1) of Law No. 53/2003 – “Labor Code,” republished, as amended and supplemented, is set, without including bonuses and other supplements, at the amount of 2,550 lei monthly, for normal working hours of an average of 167.333 hours per month (recall that this is in a year 251 working days x 8 hours/day/12 months), thus equivalent to a gross of 15.239 lei/hour.
The minimum wage for employees with higher education has been eliminated. So from 1.1.22 there will be only two types of minimum wage: general (2,550 lei) and for construction (3,000 lei).

Time limit for the statutory gross minimum wage: starting from January 1, 2022, the employee may be charged for a maximum period of 24 months, from the time of the conclusion of the individual employment contract, the statutory gross minimum wage established in the conditions set out in the preceding paragraph. At the end of this period, a base salary above the statutory gross minimum wage shall then be paid.

Increased ceiling for non-taxable gift certificates: as of January 1, 2022, in the case of gifts in cash and/or in kind, including gift certificates, offered by employers,to employees on the occasion of Easter, Christmas and similar holidays of other religious denominations, (including those offered on the occasion of March 8 and June 1), the ceiling that is not taxable and is not included in the basis for calculating mandatory social security contributions has been raised from 150 lei to 300 lei for each person (employees and minor children) and each event.

The non-working holidays, of 2022, are:

 New Year’s Day: January 1 (Saturday) ‘January 2 – (Sunday);

 Romanian Principalities Union Day: Jan. 24 (Monday);

 Good Friday: April 22 (Friday);

 First and second day of Easter: April 24-25 (Sunday and Monday);

 International Labor Day: May 1 (Sunday);

 Children’s Day: June 1 (Wednesday);

 The first and second days of Pentecost: June 12-13 (Sunday and Monday);

 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin: August 15 (Monday);

 St. Andrew’s: November 30 (Wednesday);

 National Day of Romania: December 1 (Thursday);

 First and second day of Christmas: December 25-26 (Sunday and Monday).