The economy of Treiscaune de Jos: stable revenue, improving profit in 2025 and declining employment

The 2017–2025 rankings also show that the profit improvement in 2025 was concentrated primarily among the strongest companies.

These developments affect jobs, local suppliers, consumption and municipal revenues. The longer data series therefore shows not only company performance, but also the capacity of the Lower Three Seats economy to adapt.

The Lower Three Seats economy in 2025

The dataset analysed covered 3,675 companies from Lower Three Seats in 2025. Together, they recorded:

•  RON 8.41 billion in revenue;

•  RON 640.9 million in profit;

•  16,119 employees.

The revenue TOP 50 companies generated RON 5.18 billion, or 61.64% of the region’s total revenue. The first 50 companies in the profit ranking accounted for 53.75% of total profit, while the largest employers represented 40.60% of all employees.

The TOP 50 has a major weight in both revenue and profit, yet 59.4% of jobs are provided by companies outside the first fifty positions. This shows that small and medium-sized enterprises continue to play a decisive role in the local labour market.

Stable revenue, but declining employment

Between 2022 and 2025, the total revenue of companies in the region increased from RON 8.09 billion to RON 8.41 billion. This nominal growth of 3.9%, against the backdrop of substantial price increases during the period, points more to stability than to strong real expansion.

Because the amounts are expressed in current lei, nominal change is not the same as a change in the volume of goods and services. Inflation and sector-specific price movements significantly affect the comparison.

Total profit declined over the same period from RON 664.1 million to RON 640.9 million, a drop of 3.5%. The 2024 value was RON 581.8 million, meaning that profit improved by 10.2% in 2025 compared with the previous year.

Employment fell from 17,481 to 16,119 people. The difference is equivalent to 1,362 jobs, or a decline of 7.8%.

Profit is increasingly concentrated among the best-performing companies

Comparing the standalone annual TOP 50 rankings, between 2022 and 2025:

•  the combined performance of the revenue TOP 50 fell by 1.7%;

•  the total profit of the profit TOP 50 increased by 6.6%;

•  the headcount of the fifty largest employers fell by 14.0%.

The revenue TOP 50 share declined from 65.12% to 61.64%, while the profit TOP 50 share increased from 48.65% to 53.75%. Employment concentration fell from 43.54% to 40.60%.

The different movement of the three indicators shows that revenue, profitability and jobs do not change at the same companies or at the same pace. While the most profitable firms increased their results, the combined headcount of the largest employers declined faster than the regional average.

TOP 50 revenue more than doubled in eight years

The combined revenue of the revenue TOP 50 stood at RON 2.39 billion in 2017 and reached RON 5.18 billion in 2025. This represents nominal growth of 117.2%.

The combined profit of the TOP 50 was RON 78.9 million in 2017 and RON 344.5 million in 2025. Nominal growth amounted to 336.8%.

The fifty largest employers had 7,003 employees in 2017 and 6,545 in 2025. This is a decline of 6.5% over eight years.

The long-term data show that the relationship between financial performance and employment is not linear. Inflation, productivity, company structure and changes in the sector mix can all contribute to revenue growth.

Food production and the wood–packaging sector are the main economic pillars

When the companies in the 2025 revenue TOP 50 are grouped by their primary activity, food, beverages and agriculture form the largest sector group, accounting for 42.1% of revenue. Wood, paper, packaging and plastics represent 24.4%, while construction and building materials account for 11.0%.

Other important fields are:

•  transport and logistics: 6.8%;

•  automotive, metalworking and machinery: 5.9%;

•  trade, tourism and other services: 5.8%;

•  energy, utilities and environment: 2.2%;

•  other sectors: 2.0%.

Between 2020 and 2025, the share of food, beverages and agriculture declined from 47.3% to 42.1%, while the share of wood, paper, packaging and plastics increased from 10.4% to 24.4%. This shows that the region’s industry structure changed substantially over the past five years.

Which companies defined 2025?

The revenue ranking was led by FABRICA DE LAPTE BRASOV SA, with revenue of RON 1.02 billion. The company also recorded the highest profit, at RON 77.3 million, and ranked first among employers with 493 employees.

Other companies at the top of the revenue ranking included:

•  HS TIMBER PRODUCTION RECI SRL, with RON 747.9 million;

•  DUNAPACK RAMBOX PRODIMPEX SRL, with RON 306.7 million;

•  WALOR RO SRL, with RON 207.3 million;

•  BERTIS DISTRIBUTION SRL, with RON 200.9 million.

The largest annual revenue increase was achieved by FABRICA DE LAPTE BRASOV SA, with growth of RON 129.4 million. SEN TRADING SRL increased its revenue by RON 22.1 million. The largest decline occurred at HS TIMBER PRODUCTION RECI SRL, whose revenue fell by RON 129.7 million.

The profit ranking proved the most volatile: in 2025, eighteen new entrants appeared in the top fifty. The revenue ranking had nine new entrants, while the employer ranking had six.

What does the TOP 50 entry threshold show?

The entry threshold for the revenue TOP 50 was RON 19.6 million in 2022 and RON 20.9 million in 2025. This represents an increase of 6.3%.

The entry threshold for the profit TOP 50 was RON 2.2 million in 2022 and RON 1.7 million in 2025, a decline of 22.2%.

The entry threshold for the employer TOP 50 was 48 employees in 2022 and 47 in 2025, a decline of 2.1%.

The thresholds indicate the level of performance required to enter the first fifty companies in a given year. The higher revenue minimum points to stronger turnover among mid-sized firms, while the lower profit and employment thresholds suggest weaker profitability and job-creation capacity.

Strong business foundations, but weaker job creation

The Lower Three Seats economy maintained revenue stability in 2025, and profit improved compared with the previous year. Persistent employment decline, however, shows that stronger financial performance does not automatically lead to more jobs.

An important question for the coming period will be the extent to which the growth of major food, wood and packaging companies can generate local supplier and employment effects. The region’s long-term resilience will require not only strong results among leading firms, but also better profitability and job retention among smaller companies.

The detailed 2025 company rankings can also be viewed separately:

•  Largest companies in Lower Three Seats by revenue – TOP 50

•  Largest employers in Lower Three Seats – TOP 50

•  Most profitable companies in Lower Three Seats – TOP 50

The series on the economic regions of Szeklerland already includes: the Odorhei area economic analysis and the Ciuc area economic analysis. The forthcoming materials cover Upper Three Seats, Gheorgheni, Mureș and Szeklerland as a whole.