Moldova detects over 10,000 undeclared workers in 2026
The State Labour Inspectorate uncovered more than 10,000 undeclared workers in 2026, already surpassing the annual target set for the entire year, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection announced on September 1.
Of the 10,140 individuals detected without valid documentation, 6,722 have already been transitioned into formal employment contracts. Officials noted that these findings confirm a steady decline in informal employment across the national labour market.
Statistical decline in informal employment
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics cited by the ministry, the overall share of informal employment dropped from 23.0% in 2023 to 17.3% in 2025. This represents a reduction of 5.7 percentage qc points within a two-year span.
Sectoral data shows significant progress in historically vulnerable industries. In agriculture, informal labour fell from 66.6% to 61%, while the construction sector recorded a sharper decline, falling from 66.2% to 49%.
Structural priorities and digital oversight
Despite these improvements, the ministry emphasised that informal practices remain a persistent challenge across multiple fields.
Agriculture, construction, retail trade, and manufacturing remain key priority areas for labour compliance. Authorities underlined that ensuring legal employment contracts, safeguarding worker protections, and securing mandatory social insurance contributions remain primary policy objectives.
Integration with the "e-Zilier" platform
To streamline compliance in seasonal employment, authorities launched the "e-Zilier" digital platform on June 15. The system allows employers to log day labourers, work hours, and payments electronically, fully replacing physical paper registers.
By logging each work shift into "e-Zilier", data is automatically transferred to the National Social Insurance House (CNAS). This integration guarantees that working days and social contributions are officially recorded toward employees' contribution history and pension entitlements.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
