Business Forum • 16 January, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The average take-home pay increased to RON 5,388 in November 2024, up by 120 lei (+2.3%) compared to October last year, according to data released on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (NSI).
Average gross earnings were RON 8,825 in November, RON 213 (+2.5%) higher than in the previous month.
The highest average net earnings were recorded in information technology service activities (including computer service activities) (RON 12,423) and the lowest in manufacturing of wearing apparel (RON 3,058).
Compared to November of the previous year, i.e. 2023, the average net pay increased by 13.1%.
The real wage gain index was 107.6% in November 2024 compared to November 2023. The real wage gain index was 101.9% in November 2024 compared with October 2024. Compared with October 2024, the real wage gain index was 256.3%, 4.7 percentage points higher than in October 2024.
”During the year, there are fluctuations in wage earnings driven mainly by annual bonuses and holiday bonuses, especially in the months taken as the base months (December, March/April). They influence increases or decreases depending on the period in which they are granted, ultimately leading to a smoothing of fluctuations in monthly earnings over the whole year. The evolution of real earnings depends both on fluctuations in average net earnings and on the inflation rate,” shows the NSI.
In November 2024, in most activities in the economic sector, the level of average net earnings increased compared with October 2024, as a result of the granting of occasional bonuses (quarterly, annual bonuses for winter holidays, for outstanding performance or 13th pay), rights in kind and cash benefits, amounts from net profit and other funds (including notes of value).
Increases in average net earnings were also due to higher production achievements or receipts (depending on contracts/projects).
The most significant increases in average net earnings at NACE Rev.2 section/division level were recorded as follows: by 13.6% in manufacture of machinery, tools and equipment n.e.c. and by 13.0% in manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers.
In addition, there were increases between 7% and 110% in manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, mining and quarrying of metal ores, storage and support activities for transportation, manufacture of electrical equipment, activities auxiliary to financial intermediation, insurance and pension funding activities, manufacture of rubber and plastic products, printing and reproduction of recorded media, information technology service activities (including computer service activities), financial intermediation (except insurance and pension funding activities).
In November 2024, the decreases in average net earnings from October 2024 were driven by the previous months' grants of occasional bonuses, entitlements in kind and cash benefits, net profit and other funds (including notes of value). Decreases in average net earnings were also driven by production non-realizations or lower receipts (depending on contracts/projects).
The most significant decreases in average net earnings at the level of NACE Rev.2 sections/divisions were: by 2.6% in crude petroleum and natural gas extraction; between 1% and 2.5% in manufacture of computers, electronic and optical products, motion picture, video and television program production, sound recording and music publishing (including broadcasting and program transmission), mining and quarrying of coal and coal products, transportation by air, other mining and quarrying, manufacture of coke oven products and products derived from crude petroleum, manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations.
In the budgetary sector in November 2024, increases in average net earnings compared to the previous month were recorded in education (+1.4%, as a result of hourly pay for teachers). In public administration, respectively in health and social work, average net earnings decreased slightly compared to the previous month (-0.2% for each).