Employees in Romania obtained total earnings of EUR 57.3 billion in 2016, a record level in absolute terms, according to data published by EU’s statistical office Eurostat, cited by local News.ro.

The total salaries paid to employees in Romania went up by 11.3% compared to 2015, when the level was EUR 51.55 billion. The EUR 5.7 billion that Romanians earned extra last year compared to 2015 went mostly into consumption, pushing up the retail trade sector and the economy overall.

However, the total wages in Romania in 2016 were significantly below those estimated by the National Prognosis Commission (CNP). In its autumn prognosis, CNP estimated that employees in Romania would get about EUR 59.3 billion in 2016.

The Romanian employees’ salaries represented just over a third (33.9%) of the country’s GDP in 2016, which is still far below the level in 2008. That year, Romanian employees earned EUR 55.9 billion, namely 39.3% of the GDP, according to Eurostat.

editor@romania-insider.com