The average monthly nominal gross wage per employee in the national economy for January–March of this year was 15,987 lei, an increase of 9.7% in nominal terms compared to the same period in 2025.
In real terms, wages rose by 4.2%, driven by inflation of 5.24% and a 15% increase in the national minimum wage. In foreign currency, it amounted to approximately 798 euros or $934, according to data from the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.
Broken down by sector, wages were as follows:
– in the private sector – 16,910 lei, an increase of 11.4% in nominal terms and 5.9% in real terms;
– in the public sector – 13,288 lei, an increase of 3.7% in nominal terms and a decrease of 1.5% in real terms.
It is also worth noting that over the past seven years, while the number of teachers and doctors has been steadily declining, the bureaucratic apparatus has been growing steadily.
For example, in 2019, there were 31,602 civil servants across nine ministries, while in 2026, there were already 57,954 across 16 ministries.
In the first quarter of 2026, most economic sectors saw an increase in average monthly wages (in real terms) compared to the same period of the previous year.
Wage growth was observed in administrative and support services (+39.8%), professional, scientific, and technical activities (+12.1%), information and communication technologies (+10.6%), construction (+8.8%), the hotel and restaurant industry (+8.3%), arts, recreation, and leisure (+6.6%), transportation and warehousing (+5.9%), wholesale and retail trade (+5.5%), agriculture, forestry, and fishing (+5.3%), manufacturing (+4.5%), real estate activities (+4.5%), and financial and insurance activities (+2.1%).
At the same time, a decline in average monthly wages was recorded in education (-0.1%), health care and social assistance (-0.6%), other services (-2.7%), as well as in public administration and defense; compulsory social insurance (-2.7%).
Wages above the national average were offered in sectors such as: information and communication technology (approximately 2.5 times the average), financial and insurance activities (1.8 times the average), administrative and support services (+19.7%), professional, scientific, and technical activities (+18.2%), other services (+17.5%), public administration and defense, and compulsory social insurance (+7.2%), health care and social assistance (+3.3%).
Wages below the national average were recorded in the following sectors: agriculture, forestry, and fishing (64% of the national average), the hotel and restaurant industry (71%), arts, recreation, and leisure (76%), education (82%), real estate (84%), transportation and warehousing (84.3%), construction (87%), wholesale and retail trade (90.3%), and manufacturing (91.7%).
