Romanian Worker in France
Roumain travail en france have been a fixture in France for years. Some are physicians who regularly send remittances to family members in their home country or to themselves, contributing to intergenerational solidarity. Other migrants are more mobile, switching locations as they adapt to their professional environment and seeking work that allows them to increase their incomes. These doctors are often present in rural areas where the scarcity of physicians is most pronounced.
The arrival of Romanian doctors is welcomed in local communities where they often are the only practitioners. They are seen as “country doctors” who can guarantee continuity in medical care after a sudden departure or planned retirement and fill the needs of local populations. Local newspapers stress the fact that they speak French and that their practices resemble those of the country doctors of the past, often featuring pictures of them holding a Vidal medical dictionary.
Future Prospects: The Continued Influence of Romanian Workers on France’s Workforce
For other migrant workers, however, France offers only limited opportunities for them to earn a decent living. Those who are not employed by private companies in France must find other ways to make ends meet, even when living in expensive Paris neighborhoods. Begging, petty crime and helping tourists work ticket, snapshot and candy machines at railway stations can bring in extra cash.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron is in Romania to press Klaus Iohannis on the issue of “posted workers,” cheap labor from Eastern European nations posted temporarily to more prosperous European countries that pay into their national social security systems but are perceived as undercutting domestic wages and driving up welfare costs. The reform Macron is pushing would require employers to pay posted workers the same as locals and limit postings to one year.
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