On the other hand, employees in Harghita, Teleorman, Suceava, Neamt and Vrancea earned RON1,483 to RON1,544 in net amount on average per month, the lowest net average wages in the country.
“The counties with the highest wages are those were multinational companies have invested a lot of money, where unemployment is almost non-existent and jobs are varied,” said Alina Popescu, talent information solution leader for Romania and the Balkans with HR Mercer, part of the Marsh & McLennan Companies, said.
“The more developed counties, where employees’ net wages stand at more than RON2,000 per month, saw not only manufacturing but also IT and financial services investments unlike the counties with low wages where there usually is very little investment, especially in manufacturing operations.”
Unemployment rate in Bucharest was merely 1.6% at the end of last year, while in Harghita it stood at 5.7% (higher than the national average of 4.7%), data from the National Employment Agency show.
Bucharest has the highest employment rate in the country, since more than half of its population has a job, double the rate in the rest of the country (24%). In comparison, only one in five people in Harghita has a job (21.6% employment rate).
“I expect wage increases this year, as well, due to the shortage of labor, especially in the software development and manufacturing skilled workers areas,” Alina Popescu added.
The net average wage in Romania reached RON2,088 per month last year, up 12% on 2015. This means a person in Bucharest warned 36% more than the average wage, while an employee in Harghita earned 28% less.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)