More than half of working Romanians earn RON 1,500 or less a month (under EUR 345), according to Romania's statistics institute (INS). The figures, published today (April 25 ), provide a snapshot of Romanian wages from October last year. The study also found that 5 percent of workers on a full time schedule earned less than the RON 700 minimum wage (EUR 160 ).

At the other end of the pay spectrum, only 5 percent of Romanian employees earn above RON 5,000 a month (just under EUR 1,150). The INS salary study found that 46, 7 percent of workers earned between RON 701 and RON 1,500 (EUR 160 – EUR 345 ) a month and 32.1 percent between RON 1,501 and RON 3,000 (some EUR 345 – EUR 690). Meanwhile, 11 percent of employees in Romania took home between RON 3,000 and RON 5,000 (around EUR 690 – EUR 1,150).

The study revealed differences in the remuneration of Romanian men and women; 70 percent of women as opposed to 65 percent of men had a lower gross monthly salary below RON 2,000 (some EUR 460 ).

Average basic gross wage in October 2012 was RON 1,828 (EUR 420 ) for employees who worked at least 23 days on a full-time, while overall the average gross salary amounted to RON 2,052 (EUR 471 ). Compared to 2011, the average basic gross wage increased by 6.3 percent and the average gross salary by 6.8 percent. Gross salaries saw a moderate increase most sectors, except the hospitality industry, in which wages fell by 4.7 percent.

editor@romania-insider.com