Now the top earners are employees in real estate, commerce and installations.
One single employee in the financial & banking sector features in the 2012 ranking, at no. 3. This compares poorly with 2009, when seven out of the top 10 best-paid employees in the economy were top managers in the banking sector.
The best-paid executive in Romania in 2012, just as in 2011, is a manager in real estate, earning a net income of 6.7 million lei per year, i.e. around RON560,000 per month (EUR125,000 per month).
The banking sector employee who is the no.3 earner features with an annual income of around RON4 billion, i.e. less than EUR1 million, according to data provided by fiscal authorities ANAF at ZF’s request.
In 2009 as many as five bankers had net earnings equivalent to over EUR1 million each, despite the fact that their respective banks had seen their profits down by a double-digit percentage, according to international financial reporting standards.
Bankers collect their annual bonuses one year later than the year for which they are rewarded, so in 2009 the hierarchy of the top salaries in Romania did not reflect reality, considering that the economy was in full recession and lending was on the decline.
Given the international financial and economic crisis, the earnings of bank executives seemed much too high, something that was true not only for the Romanian market.
In 2010 the financial sector had one entry in the top 10 salary ranking, at no. 1. The 2011 ranking featured three bankers, at no. 3, 8 and 9.
Who are the top earners in 2012
The best-paid executive in Romania in 2012 and in 2011 was a manager from real estate, who most likely sealed several major transactions and won around RON6.7 million.
No. 2 in the ranking of highest salary earnings is someone from Ploiesti who earned around RON6 million from wholesale of household goods.
No. 3 in the ranking is a banker who earned a net income of RON4 million.
An individual from the western city of Timisoara ranks 4th with a net income of RON3.9 million from making navigation instruments.
Another person from Bucharest earned a net salary of RON3.8 million from intermediation of various products, ranking 5th.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)