Average monthly and median wages and salaries (euro; changes, compared to previous period (%))

The calculated gross wage and salary fund comprises basic wage and salary (monthly wage, post wage), remuneration for time worked or the amount of work done, regular and irregular additional payments and bonuses,earnings related to over-time, payment for the annual and supplementary vacations, additional payment for vacation, holiday allowances, compensation for the vacation not used, sick pay (sick-leave certificate A), payment for public holidays and other days not worked, social security compulsory contributions paid by the employees and personal income tax, as well as labour remuneration subsidies.

Net wage is the amount calculated by deducting the mandatory social contributions payable by employees and personal income tax from the gross wage.

Experimental statistics is produced by using new data sources and methods in making attempts to expand the range of statistics or the level of detail thereof based on the needs of data users.

It should be noted that the methods used in experimental statistics are not constant, approbated or internationally harmonized and can be changed to improve data quality.

Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) publishes experimental statistics to get user feedback, evaluate analytical potential of the data and relevance thereof to the actual reality and data user needs. By publishing experimental statistics, the CSB provides data users with new sources of information that may be used for decision making.

To meet data user needs for another average earnings indicator not influenced by very high and very low salaries and characterising typical level of earnings in the country, CSB is estimating median wages and salaries. The estimate is based on information acquired with the help of quarterly survey (questionnaires 2-ES, 2-ES-local governments and 2-ES short questionnaire) and administrative data available in the State Revenue Service.

Median is the value separating higher half from the lower half of the indicators listed in ascending or descending sequence. Median may be regarded as the middle value separating the indicators into two equal parts. Usually median earnings are lower than mean arithmetic ones (average wages and salaries). The difference between median and mean arithmetic shows the asymmetry in the distribution of earnings. If distribution is completely symmetrical, median and mean arithmetic are equal.