The net average wage increased by 3.4% y/y to RON 5,754 (EUR 1,099) in the second quarter (Q2) this year, losing momentum from 3.9% y/y in Q1 and 7.8% y/y in the same period of 2025, according to data published by the statistics office INS. 

At the same time, consumer price inflation reached 10.7% y/y in Q2, rising from Q1 and doubling compared to the same period last year. This resulted in the net wages losing their real value by 6.6% y/y in Q2 compared to 5.2% y/y in Q1. 

The households’ purchasing power has stagnated through the first part of 2025 amid the first package of budgetary measures and deteriorated in mid-2025 after the second package had a significant inflationary impact. 

In a broader perspective, the average net wage has returned to the level where it was in the first months of 2024, and it remains above the levels seen in 2023. 

Except for the year-end and Easter bonuses, the average real wage has remained rather steady since inflation rose in July-August last year. Small real decreases in the budgetary sector (due to fixed nominal wages) are offset by small real increases in the private sector. 

In euros, the average net wage decreased by 0.6% y/y in Q2 (to EUR 1,099), posting the first negative nominal annual growth in more than a decade. 

The impact on retail sales was visible: the retail sales volume contracted by 5.4% y/y in Q2, after a 5.9% y/y contraction in Q1. 

(Photo: Rochu2008/ Dreamstime)

iulian@romania-insider.com