Study: Highest net average salaries in Romania paid in Bucharest and Cluj

Bucharest, with a net average monthly salary of RON 3,684 (EUR 780) and Cluj, with RON 3,115 (EUR 660), lead the top of the Romanian counties with the highest net averages salaries in 2018, according to a labor market survey conducted by Syndex.

Salaries of over RON 2,600 (EUR 550) were also paid in the counties of Iasi (RON 2,650/EUR 561), Sibiu (RON 2,676/EUR 566), Brasov (RON 2,680/EUR 567), Timis (RON 2,945/EUR 624), and Ilfov (RON 2,913/EUR 617), Ziarul Financiar reported.

Meanwhile, 19 counties are at the other end of the top, with salaries between RON 2,000 (some EUR 423) and RON 2,200 (EUR 466). Among them Maramures, Suceava, Botosani, Neamt, Vaslui, Braila, Buzau, Calarasi, Valcea, Mehedinti, Caras-Severin, Hunedoara, Bihor and Salaj. Vrancea is the only county where the average salary is less than RON 2,000, namely RON 1,999.

The study thus revealed that the demographic disparities have remained very high in Romania. The average salary in Bucharest is 84% higher than in Vrancea. Moreover, the average salary in the capital increased by 12.6% in 2018, while in Vrancea the growth was slightly lower, of 11.1%.

The data comes to show that the low-wage regions (south, southeast and northeast, as well as some counties in the southwest) have lower wage growth rates than those where wages are already well above average. Convergence is only visible at the top, the capital having a slightly lower growth rate than the counties of Cluj, Timis, Brasov or Sibiu. If the growth gap persists, over the next five years Cluj could reach and even surpass Bucharest in terms of average remuneration.

By sector, employees in IT and financial and insurance continue to have the highest average salaries. Significant wage increases have been recorded in the construction sector, which faces significant labor market pressures, and in the administrative and support services, which mainly involve outsourcing.

Data from the National Statistics Institute (INS) released on Monday, July 8, revealed that the net average earning increased by 14.7% in Romania in May compared to the same month of the previous year, to RON 3,101 (EUR 656). In real terms, in line with consumer price developments, the growth was 10.2%

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