December 20 (SeeNews) - The average annual full-time adjusted salary per employee in Bulgaria was the lowest among the 27 EU member states at 10,300 euro ($10,944) - less than a third of the EU average, the bloc's statistical office said.
With an average annual salary of 13,000 euro, Romania came in second to last place, while the EU average amounted to 33,500 euro, Eurostat said on Monday in its first-ever data release for this indicator.
Luxembourg topped the list, with 72,200 euro, followed by Denmark with 63,300 euro and Ireland with 50,300 euro.
Elsewhere in Southeast Europe (SEE), Slovenia recorded the highest average annual full-time adjusted salary per employee, of 28,760 euro, the data set showed. All five member states from SEE lagged behind the EU average.
Under the EU's Blue Card Directive, the new indicator will be used to determine the average gross annual salary for each EU member state and grant working permits to highly-skilled workers, Eurostat explained.
The directive was adopted in 2009 with the aim of attracting highly qualified workers to the EU under more flexible conditions, granting Blue Card holders enhanced rights and the possibility to move more easily between member states.
Eurostat also said it bases its calculations on a combination of national accounts and Labour Force Survey (LFS) data and adjusts by expressing part-time salaries as full-time equivalents.
|
Avg salary per employee in euro, 2021 |
Bulgaria |
10,300 |
Croatia |
16,170 |
Greece |
15,880 |
Romania |
13,000 |
Slovenia |
28,760 |
EU average |
33,500 |
Source: Eurostat
($ = 0.941173 euro)