These managers have become increasingly targeted by recruitment companies because they work in a sector with very high quality standards.
“Companies in the fashion and FMCG sectors have started to target managers in the automotive sector and ask us specifically to recruit them. They are very good at process optimization, having implemented concepts ‘imported’ from the Japanese in their companies,” says Sorin Roibu, country manager of consultancy and executive search company Arthur Hunt.
The lowest wage earners in the component industry are unskilled workers, who make EUR200 on average per month, over ten times lower than the managers. The net average wage in the entire economy is EUR360 per month.
A manager in the car part industry earns EUR2,600 net per month, the next best paid manager in the industry is the financial manager, with almost EUR2,400 net per month. Another key position for which employers in the auto components sector offer wages of over EUR2,000 net per month (five times the average wage in the economy) is quality manager, the research also reveals.
“There are production managers who earn as much as EUR1,500 net per month in this industry, while EUR2,600 per month can be earned by a production manager in a major automotive component manufacturing company with experience in the company or a manager who was appointed in a company that has just entered the market,” Roibu adds.
The fact that the lowest earners make ten times less than the managers means Romania continues to be among the top countries in terms of bosses’ purchasing power. In Japan for instance the difference between the lowest wage and the highest wage earned within the same company is seven-fold at the most.
“A general manager of a small company with 100 employees in the auto components sector earns on average EUR3,500 net per month, while a manager of a plant with 500 to 1,000 employees makes between EUR5,000 and EUR6,000 net per month,” Roibu also says.
He adds that although the major component makers are located in provincial towns (where top management salaries can be as much as 30% lower than in Bucharest) the salaries of general managers of a company with over 5,000 employees can exceed EUR10,000 net per month in several plants.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)