Wages increased in most manufacturing sectors in September, but the employment decreased

Even in September 2023, an increase in real wages was kept in 7 out of 10 monitored sectors. Wages of employees in retail trade increased the most year-on-year. A decline in employment continued in most sectors, most significantly in wholesale.

In September 2023, the average nominal monthly wage¹⁾ grew year-on-year in all 10 monthly monitored sectors. Wages in retail trade increased the most by 16.2% to EUR 1,135. Wages of employees also increased at a double-digit rate in food and beverage service activities by 13.1% to EUR 710 and in selected market services by 11.9% to EUR 1,390. A rise in wages in other selected sectors ranged from 6.7% in information and communication, where the average wage amounted to EUR 2,345, to 9.1% in wholesale with an average wage in the amount of EUR 1,409 in September.

In September, wages in most monitored sectors were not affected by inflation, i.e. they increased year-on-year in real terms. The most significant increase was in retail trade by 7.4%, the level of growth was exceeded by 3% in the food and beverage service activities and in selected market services. In transport sector, they remained at the level of September 2022. Lower wages of employees in real terms were recorded in information and communication by 1.4%, as well as in industry, where real wages decreased by 0.7% year-on-year.

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In total, for the first nine months of 2023, the nominal monthly wage increased in all 10 monitored sectors, by double digits in up to 7 of them. It increased the most in sectors with low wages: in accommodation by 15.1% to EUR 1,068, in food and beverage service activities by 14% to EUR 699 and in construction by 13.2% to EUR 1,008.

Since the beginning of the year, real wages increased in accommodation by 2.8%, in food and beverage service activities, in construction and also in selected market services up to 2%. In other sectors, real wages decreased year-on-year.

Year-on-year development of employment

Up to 7 out of 10 monitored manufacturing sectors recorded an decrease in employment in September 2023²⁾. In the largest employer sector – industry³⁾ the number of employees decreased year-on-year by 0.7%, while employment in this sector has been falling for 19 months already, with the exception of March this year. Among the other more significant employer sectors, a decrease in the number of employees was also recorded in selected market services and retail trade. The most significant year-on-year decrease in the number of employees was recorded in wholesale by 4.6%.

A growing trend was continued in the employment in construction by 1.3% in case of larger sectors, in information and communication by 3.2%, and sales and repair of motor vehicles by 3.3% in case of smaller sectors.

In total, since the beginning of 2023, the number of employees increased year-on-year in only 4 of the 10 monitored sectors, i.e. in construction, accommodation, information and communication, and in sale and repair of motor vehicles.