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In Croatia, IT Professionals and Pharmacists Are the Highest Paid

In 2009, the highest salaries were in companies whose primary activities are pharmaceuticals and information technology, while the lowest were in activities related to sports and recreation, as well as arts and design, according to a survey conducted by the MojPosao portal on 16,000 respondents.

Salaries in companies whose primary activity is pharmaceuticals are 38 percent higher than the average, while in IT (development and maintenance of software solutions), salaries are 25 percent higher. In activities related to sports and recreation, salaries are 28 percent below average, and in arts and design, they are 14 percent lower. By occupation, Moj Posao determined that in 2009, the highest paid were pharmacists, doctors, mechanical and electrical engineers, while the lowest paid occupations were in personal services. By counties, the lowest salaries were recorded in Bjelovarsko-bilogorska, Virovitičko-podravska, and Brodsko-posavska counties, while the highest were in the City of Zagreb. The level of education affects salary levels – individuals with a completed university degree have a salary 34.1 percent higher compared to those with a secondary school education.

A completed master’s degree or doctorate increases salary on average by 60.2 percent compared to secondary school education, while the income difference for individuals with a business school diploma (MBA) compared to those with completed secondary school is 85.7 percent. Compared to average monthly net salaries in privately owned companies, salaries in privately owned foreign companies are 25.9 percent higher, and in foreign institutions, they are 18.6 percent higher. The lowest salaries are in associations where employees are paid 10 percent less compared to companies in domestic ownership. Salaries in domestic institutions are equal to those in privately owned companies, while salaries in state-owned companies are 9.5 percent higher than those in privately owned companies.

This year’s research confirmed that it is more profitable to work in large companies. Thus, in companies with fewer than 20 employees, salaries are 12.9 percent below average, while in large companies with more than 200 employees, salaries are on average 8.1 percent higher than average. Salaries are 2.8 percent lower than average in companies with between 21 and 50 employees, in companies with 51 to 100 employees, salaries are nearly average, and in companies with 101-200 employees, salaries are 6.4 percent higher than average. (H)