In Croatia, in June 2025, 70,822 minimum gross salaries of 970 euros were paid, and after the increase of the minimum gross salary to 1,050 euros starting January 1 of the following year, the number of paid minimum salaries per month could rise to over 130,000.
This is derived from data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) for salaries paid for full-time work, as the number of salaries paid above the minimum up to the threshold of 1,050 euros is over 60,000 in total.
Manufacturing Industry: Double the Minimum Wage
From the statistical overview of the DZS, it appears that the most vulnerable sectors in 2025 in terms of the number of paid minimum salaries were the manufacturing industry, trade, and construction. Certainly, the government measure will be welcomed by all those on minimum wage who will now see an increase. In the manufacturing industry, 13,255 minimum salaries of 970 euros were paid in June 2025, which accounted for about 6.6 percent of the entire sector.
With the increase of the minimum gross salary to 1,050 euros, an additional 13,330 individuals who received gross salaries up to that amount in the same month will be included in this sector. This means that the total number of minimum salaries in this sector, as well as its share of the total, could double.
Trade and Tourism: Every Seventh or Eighth Worker on Minimum Wage
A similar situation exists in tourism, specifically in the accommodation and food service sectors, as well as in trade. In trade, 5.4 percent or 10,274 full-time employees received the minimum wage this year, while next year that share could grow to 15.6 percent or a total of 24,373 workers.
Tourism does not pay as many minimum wages, but it employs fewer people, so the ratios are similar.
Minimum Wages are Also Rising Significantly in Construction, Vulnerable Administrative and Other Service Activities
Regarding the construction sector, which, like tourism, trade, and other service activities, has grown due to the import of foreign workers, the situation is somewhat worse. In June, 6,216 minimum wages were paid in this sector, or 5.9 percent relative to the sector, and under the new minimum wage starting January 1 of the following year, an additional 10,248 individuals will fall under this category, which could raise the share of the lowest-paid in this sector to as much as 15.6 percent.
Administrative and Support Service Activities are already in a poor position. With 6,653 minimum wages paid in June 2025, this sector has a share of 15.6 percent of minimum wages relative to all paid salaries. With the increase to 1,050 euros, the coverage of minimum wage expands to an additional 10,826 individuals, so in this sector, its share could jump to nearly a quarter.
In the category of other service activities, which includes personal services such as hairdressing or beauty services, as well as repair services for personal use devices, already in June 2025, more than a quarter of paid salaries were minimum at 970 euros, and from next year, it could exceed a third of the total 18,237.
The Number of Paid Minimum Wages is Growing, but Slower than Expected
It is worth noting that the number of paid minimum wages increases year by year as this threshold is raised by administrative decisions of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, but it is still somewhat slower, as it does not fully encompass all employees who were paid salaries up to the new minimum threshold in the previous year.
Thus, in June 2024, when the minimum gross salary for full-time work was 840 euros, there were 45,775 people on minimum wage, and by the threshold of 970 in 2025, there were an additional over 120,000. Although the number of paid minimum wages did not rise to a total of 160,000, it did increase to 70,000. It is likely that part of the full-time salaries was indeed increased, and some individuals who had minimum wage are no longer reported as full-time.
The same is true when comparing 2023 and 2024. In June 2023, 11,802 minimum wages were paid, and the number of employees who were paid a gross amount up to 840 euros, which was the minimum in 2024, was still 118,000. The number of new paid minimum wages a year later did not rise to 130,000, but it did increase to 45,000.
The Total Number of Paid Salaries for Full-Time Work is Increasing
From the very announcement of the increase in the minimum wage, it was clear that it would affect a large number of people. However, while it is unlikely that all 131,469 employees who currently receive up to 1,050 euros gross salary will receive the same amount next year, it is clear that the number of workers on minimum wage is steadily increasing and approaching the figure of 100,000. Sectors that are already feeling the price pressure of competition and the inability to pass on rising costs to customers, such as tourism, construction, hospitality, and trade, will be particularly vulnerable, as they will have less and less room to manage costs to establish a competitive price.
Certainly, this government measure will be welcomed by all those on minimum wage who will now see an increase, but its success will be measured by macroeconomic trends, including employment. Previous measures have shown that employment has grown despite the increase in minimum wage. Indeed, despite the increase in the minimum wage and the increase in the total number of paid minimum wages, in 2024, the total number of paid salaries for full-time work rose to 1,220,769, which is 50,000 more than a year earlier. In 2025, when the minimum wage rose to 970 euros, the total number of paid salaries for full-time work increased by another 40,000, to a total of 1,262,123.
