The Romanian labor market has faced over time with an irregular transition, resulting in an increase of labor shortages. One reason for this phenomenon is the increase of emigration. This paper aims to identify: the employee profile, for those who would like to migrate for work abroad; the preferred emigration ways for employees, and the characteristics of employees who would like to work abroad for higher earnings. Therefore a survey of SME employees in urban areas of the country is developed with the support of the Romanian Institute of Public Opinion Survey (IRSOP Market Research & Consulting). The survey respondents were asked about their opinion on the major problems facing the Romanian labor market: discrimination, external migration and undeclared work. Survey results show that potential migrants' profile in Romania is similar to that of European migrant: male individuals with low education, young and without experience. The analysis revealed a significant influence of the regional factor on migration. The authors mentioned some social and economic measures needed to be implemented to reduce Romanian external migration. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V.
