Wage-differences can be tenfold in the EU

As we already reported, there are crushing differences among the core countries and the periphery of the EU regarding salaries. According to a recent Eurostat report, the average wage per hour was 23.1 EUR last year in the EU. This sum was even higher in the Eurozone; 26.9 EUR. The former equals 7,200 HUF, the latter 8,400 HUF. In contrast, the average salary per hour in Hungary is only 2,500 HUF (7.8 EUR). Hvg.hu summed up Eurostat’s report.

Employees get less in every respect in Hungary

In fact, Eurostat took into consideration not only the wages but also social assistance and fringe benefits. Thus, based on data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) the situation is even worse. If we calculate the Hungarian average gross salary which is 310,000 HUF (988.4 EUR) and we divide it by 22 workdays the average gross wage per hour becomes 5.7 EUR, less than 1,800 HUF.

This does not reach the average of 2005 calculated by Eurostat which was 5.8 EUR.

Companies pay the lowest average salary per hour in Bulgaria and Romania. In fact, they are followed by Poland and Hungary. The highest wages are paid in Norway, Luxemburg, Denmark and Belgium. The Norwegian average salary per hour is 46 EUR (14,300 HUF) which is ten times higher than the 1,500 HUF (EUR 4.78) paid in Bulgaria.

According to an earlier report of Eurostat summarised by hvg.hu,

poverty threatens 9.7% of those Hungarians who are working.

Among people who are between jobs this rate is even worse; 48.2%.

As we already reported, there are huge differences between the minimum wages of the EU-member countries. Clearly, the highest minimum wage, almost 2,000 EUR is paid in Luxemburg while the lowest in Bulgaria, 261 EUR.

Furthermore, there are huge differences between the wages paid by different companies in Hungary. For example,

an Aldi shopkeeper receives more than a senior lecturer at the university.

Wage Union: an answer to the labour shortage and demographic decline

In fact, the difference between the wages causes an internal migration between the European countries. However, this flow is always one way. This means that people from Eastern-European nations go to the West because of the better wages and working conditions. As a result, the Eastern-European countries lose their most educated, skilled and well-trained workforce. Therefore, the labour shortage is spreading in that half of Europe together with demographic decline.

Thus, it is not surprising that in an Eastern-European country a political party started to collect signatures in order to

bring the question of wage union on the table of the European Commission.

The most significant Hungarian opposition party, Jobbik already succeeded to join forces regional allies for the project, and they have time until May to collect 1 million signatures from 8 EU-member countries altogether. Though the Hungarian government does not support their project, e.g. Oxford professor of economics Péter Róna backs it.

Source: hvg.hu, Daily News Hungary