Half Of Romania’s Public Sector Workers Earn Less Than RON1,500/Month

The ministry's document indicates 5,600 state employees earn more than RON8,000 per month.

According to the document, out of a total 949,818 employees in administration, education, healthcare and social assistance, 1.88% earn the gross minimum wage, while 8.67% earn little over the minimum wage set for the public sector, of RON750.

Another 14.21% public sector workers have wages between RON751 and RON1,000 and 23.12% earn RON1,001 to RON1,500, which indicates 47.8% of state workers earn a monthly wage that doesn't top RON1,500.

The Finance Ministry analysis was drawn up for October 2009, when the minimum wage per economy was at RON600 and the gross average wage stood at RON1.491.

Romania has nearly 1.4 million state employees, of which about 700,000 work in the central public administration.

On a national level, the ministry's analysis shows that out of Romania's total 3.7 million employees, 0.26% earn less than the minimum wage, 14.24% get little over RON750, 58,9% get up to RON1,500, while the rest have wages between RON4,000 and exceeding RON8,000.

Romania, which is mired in the deepest recession in at least 20 years, has announced it will slash public sector wages by 25% and lay off 70,000 state employees this year, to meet the conditions of a EUR20 billion IMF-led loan it needs to stay afloat.

The country has chosen to cut wages, pensions, subsidies and social benefits to avoid raising its main taxes, an austere plan that has prompted wide social unrest and promises of Greek-style street protests.

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