Official statistics: Net average monthly wage inches up to 2,487 lei this February

The net average monthly wage was 2,487 lei this February, 0.1 percent or 3 lei higher compared to the previous month, the National Institute for Statistics (INS) said on Wednesday.

The gross nominal average wage was 4,128 lei.

In nominal terms, IT services were the sector with the highest average net pay, of 6,134 lei, while the HoReCa sector was at the opposite end with 1,499 lei.

Compared to February 2017 the net average nominal wage was 11.2 percent higher and the real wage index to the same period of the previous year was 106.2 percent.

Referenced to the evolution of consumer prices, the real wage index was 99.8 percent this February as to the previous month. The real wage index to October 1990 was 180.6 pct, 0.3 percentage points lower than in January 2018, INS said.

The rise in February's average monthly pay compared to the month before was mainly the effect of the award of occasional bonuses (quarterly or annual premiums, holiday bonuses, performance perks), in kind benefits and cash aid, benefits from the net profit and other funds (meal and gift vouchers included), but also of production accomplishments or higher revenues, the statistics authority informs.

The most significant monthly rises in the net average wage were in the manufacturing of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations (+12.8 percent); the tobacco industry (+10.1 percent); motion picture, video and television program production, sound recording and music publishing activities - programming and broadcasting activities included, agriculture, hunting and related services, constructions, activities related to financial intermediation, insurance and pension funds, coke and oil product manufacturing, the manufacturing of electrical equipment, with growth ranging between 3.5 and 7 percent.

Pays increased between 1.5 and 3 percent in professional, scientific and technical activities, coal mining, other mining activities, other services, the supply of electricity and heat, gas, hot water and air conditioning, research and development.

Conversely, the sectors to see the most significant decline in the average net wage were insurance, reinsurance and pension funds, except for the public social security system (-7 percent); oil and gas extraction, warehousing and transport related activities, water transportation and other industrial activities, with drops between 3 and 5 percent; wastewater collection and treatment, extraction related activities, the manufacturing of other means of transportation, where pays decreased between 2 and 2.5 percent.

In the public sector, the net average monthly wage was slightly up from the month before in education (+1.1 percent) and public administration (+0.6 percent). The net average wage declined in healthcare and social assistance (- 2.1 percent). AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Cernat, editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)