Moldova’s average wage grows by 14.2% in Q3 2024
The average gross monthly wage in the Republic of Moldova reached 14,116.8 lei in the third quarter of 2024, representing a 14.2% increase from the same period last year.
According to data published by the National Bureau of Statistics (BNS), real wages, adjusted for inflation, increased by 8.7%. The source states that the highest earnings are found in the information and communication sector, while the lowest are among employees in fields such as arts, recreation, and entertainment.
The highest earnings were recorded in the information and communication sector, with an average salary of 34,030.8 lei, followed by the financial and insurance sector at 25,908.8 lei, and the energy sector at 21,166.9 lei.
Conversely, the lowest salaries were recorded in accommodation and public catering at 9,518.1 lei, agriculture at 9,676.0 lei, and the arts and recreation sector at 9,905.8 lei.
Significant salary increases compared to last year were reported in the extractive industry, which includes the extraction of minerals, coal, and oil (+28.6%), the sanitation and waste management sector (+22.5%), and accommodation and public catering (+20.8%).
In the public sector, the average monthly salary was 11,736.7 lei, whereas in the private sector it amounted to 14,920.7 lei.
The average number of employees grew by 0.6% compared to the third quarter of 2023, with the largest increases in the accommodation and public catering sector (+19.5%).
In light of the increase in the average gross wage in the third quarter of 2024, the Government of the Republic of Moldova plans to continue boosting incomes in 2025. Prime Minister Dorin Recean recently announced that, starting January 1, 2025, public sector salaries will be raised by approximately 9%. The beneficiaries will include teachers, doctors, police officers, and other employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as staff from other public institutions.
“It is the Government’s responsibility to increase the incomes of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. We will do this starting January 1. Similarly, pensions will be indexed in accordance with the law, starting April 1, 2025,” stated the Prime Minister during the “Bună seara” (Good Evening) program on Moldova 1.
The average and minimum wages may increase in 2025. According to a draft presented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection during public consultations, the average monthly wage for 2025 is projected to increase to 16,100 lei, 2,400 lei more than in 2024. Additionally, the minimum wage will be increased by 10%, reaching 5,500 lei for a full 169-hour work month. As a result, the minimum hourly wage will rise to 32.54 lei.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
