Lower salaries for bankers and public servants in April

Bank and public administration employees’ salaries dropped in April from the same month of the past two years, while in the industrial sector net average incomes rose by 13%. The average net wage at the level of the entire economy in April added less than 2% from last year, reaching 1,436 RON (342 euros). Bankers’ salaries contracted by as much as 12% from 2008 at the end of the first four months of this year, but they are among the highest in the economy. The average salary in banks in April hit 3,439 RON (831 euros), down almost 6% from a year ago. Statistical data show industry wages have risen by 13% in the past three years, and specialists say that unlike in previous years there was rising demand for specialists and this is why the average wage went up in this field. Romanian employers are more upbeat as regards hiring trends in the next three months, but most of them (60%) say they will keep the current number of employees unchanged over the following period, according to the latest survey drawn up by Manpower, a major recruiter domestically.