Romanians’ real wages lose 1.5% of their value in Q3 in annual terms
The real wages remained broadly stable in the third quarter compared with the previous months, but base effects still visible in July resulted in a moderate 1.5% y/y decline, according to data published by the statistics office INS.
iulian ernst · Journalist
· 1 min read
The annual decline was considerably milder than the falls of 6.6% y/y and 5.2% y/y recorded in Q2 and Q1, respectively.
Broadly speaking, Romanians’ real wages have returned to the levels seen in late 2023, before the former government of prime minister Marcel Ciolacu pushed up public pensions and wages while also hiking the statutory minimum wage during an intense electoral year. Public wages and pensions were frozen in 2025 and 2026, with the private sector apparently balancing the overall real dynamics of wages over the past year.
