Average Salary for May Decreased in Real Terms by 2.3 Percent Year-on-Year

The average monthly net salary paid per employee in legal entities in Croatia for May amounted to 7,690 kuna, which is nominally 8.2 percent higher, but in real terms 2.3 percent lower compared to the same month last year, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics published on Wednesday.

Compared to the salary for April of this year, the average net salary for May was nominally 1.9 percent higher and in real terms 0.5 percent higher.

The real decline in salaries year-on-year is a consequence of high inflation, which has been above 10 percent in recent months, marking its highest level since the CBS began tracking inflation data.  

The median net salary for May was 6,490 kuna, meaning that half of the employees earned less and half earned more than this amount.

The highest average monthly net salary paid per employee in legal entities for May was in the air transport sector, amounting to 12,202 kuna, while the lowest was paid in protective and investigative activities, 4,905 kuna.

CBS data shows that the average monthly gross salary for May this year was 10,440 kuna, which is nominally 9.3 percent higher compared to the same month last year, but in real terms 1.4 percent lower.

Compared to the gross salary for April 2022, it was nominally 1.9 percent higher and in real terms 0.5 percent higher.

The highest average monthly gross salary per employee in legal entities for May was in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas sector, amounting to 17,889 kuna, while the lowest was paid in the clothing manufacturing sector, 6,309 kuna.

For the period from January to May 2022, the average monthly net salary paid per employee in legal entities in Croatia was 7,538 kuna, which is nominally 6.6 percent higher compared to the same period in 2021, but in real terms 1.2 percent lower.

The average monthly net salary per hour for May this year was 43.01 kuna, which is 2.7 percent lower compared to April, and a 3.5 percent increase compared to May last year.

In May, there were an average of 175 paid hours, which is a 4.8 percent increase compared to April. The highest number of paid hours was in the healthcare sector, 190, while the lowest number of paid hours was in social care without accommodation, 159.