Hungary wages climb 9.0 pc, net wages are 765 euros

The average gross monthly wage for full-time workers in Hungary rose by an annual 9.0 percent to 371,131 forints (EUR 1,150) in April, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Friday.

Net wages grew at the same pace, reaching 246,802 (EUR 765) forints.

Calculating with twelve-month CPI of 3.9 percent in April, real wages were up by 4.9 percent.

Excluding the 101,900 Hungarians in fostered work programmes, the average gross wage rose by 7.9 percent to 381,749 forints ( EUR 1,183), while net wages grew at the same rate to 253,863 forints.

Excluding fostered workers, the average gross wage in the business sector, which includes state-owned companies, rose by 10.2 percent to 390,243 forints (1,209 euros). The average wage in the public sector increased by 0.8 percent to 364,073 forints.

Full-time fostered workers earned gross 82,506 forints (255 euros) in April, 0.4 percent less than a year earlier.

Since January KSH has revamped its data sourcing for wage statistics: it is phasing out its practice of monthly data collection and instead getting data on wages and headcount from the National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV) and, in the case of the public sector, from the State Treasury. While reducing the data provision burden, the new sources bring a richer set of data.

The data sources show that in January-April average gross monthly wage was highest in the finance and insurance sector, at 671,600 forints (2,081 euros), and lowest in social health care services, at 234,000 forints (725 euros).

In January-April, gross wages rose by an annual 10.4 percent to 356,900 forints and were up by 9.4 percent without fostered workers at 367,400 forints. Excluding fostered workers, business sector gross wages rose by 11.3 percent and public sector wages rose by 4.1 percent in the period.