The full results on turnover (revenues) in the printing industry in Europe for 2020 were published late in 2022, after index data had been the only source for print volume developments during the pandemic. While the index data only allowed for estimating volume developments, now real turnover data is available—even if the data is far from perfect.
The turnover for commercial printing in Romania has been on a growth path in recent years, with an average annual 3% growth since 2015. Overall, the turnover stood at €859 million in 2019, after €33 million growth compared to the previous year. In 2020, turnover dropped decisively by 10.3% to €770 million due to the pandemic. The rate is below the European average but nevertheless high after several years of growth. Fortunately, the drop was not as steep as the earlier production volume index data suggested for 2020. The latest production index data indicate that production volumes recovered by mid-2021.
The number of persons employed remained almost unchanged from 2015 to 2019, hovering just below 16,000. In 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, a decline of 4.8% ensued, based on lower revenue numbers.
Source: Eurostat 2022 and digitalprintexpert.de
Overall, the printing industry in Romania accounted for 1.2% of the total European printing industry in 2020, in the same range as Finland, Portugal, and Denmark. In terms of the number of employees in print, the European share of Romania is markedly higher at 2.3%.
Source: Eurostat 2022 and digitalprintexpert.de
Based on Eurostat numbers for turnover and the number of employees in the printing industry the average annual turnover per employee can be calculated. The €54,419 for 2019 is markedly lower than the European average and somewhat lower than the values for most other Central and Eastern European Countries. The employment number does include part-time employees and owners with a salary. The year 2019 has been chosen as a basis for the comparison as 2020 could have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the differing speeds the labour markets reacted.
Source: Eurostat 2022 and digitalprintexpert.de
Please keep in mind that the data is based on Eurostat numbers for printing and related services (complemented by some estimates), which consists mainly of commercial and publishing printing, including prepress and finishing companies. That means that packaging, data center, direct mail print or quick print/copy shops are not included or only on a limited basis. In-house print/CRD are not included at all. Europe as used in the series of articles includes the EU countries plus Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. If you have questions about sizing the European printing industry or need clarification, please contact me at [email protected] .
This series on the turnover and employment development in commercial print in Europe will be continued. Next time, we will have a look at the printing industry in Denmark.
