Statisticians: Average monthly salary in Czechia now at CZK 37,499

The average gross monthly salary in the Czech Republic rose by 5.7 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2021 to CZK 37,499, according to the Czech Statistics Agency. However, adjusted to inflation, real wage growth was closer to 1.5 percent. Four-fifths of the population earn between CZK 17,133 to CZK 58,875 a month.

Compared with the 11.3 percent growth registered between April to June, wage growth slowed down in the third quarter of this year. Analysts say that they expected they expected a slow-down, because the rise in wages was no longer influenced by last year’s lower baseline and the extraordinary bonuses paid out to health workers, who were rewarded for their efforts in combating the COVID-19 epidemic.

The most significant wage growth for the third quarter was registered in the real estate sector, where employees saw their monthly income rise by 11.8 percent on average, according to the Czech News Agency’s labour statistics head Jitka Erhartová.

Nominal growth, meaning the rise in salaries before being adjusted for inflation, was registered in wages across all sectors. However, in four branches of the economy wage growth was below the increased inflation rates.

The lowest rise (0.6 percent) was experienced in the nominal wages of workers active in the cultural, entertainment and recreational sectors, followed by public and defence sector employees who saw their wages rise by 2.3 percent.  Nominal wage growth in the construction sector reached 3.6 percent, while workers active electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply saw their wages increase by 3.8 percent.

Statisticians calculated the median wage (the exact middle point between one half of the population that earns more and the other half that earns less) at CZK 32,979 in the third quarter of 2021, which is 5.7 percent higher than in the same period last year. Men earned on average CZK 35,086 a month, while women CZK 30,433.

In regional comparison, the highest average wages are earned by workers in the capital – CZK 45,523. However, at 5.2 percent, the year-on-year rise in average wages was slightly lower in Prague compared with the third-quarter national average.

In terms of average monthly salary, the highest averages after Prague were recorded in the Central Bohemian Region (CZK 37,625) and in the Pilsen Region (CZK 36,140). Meanwhile, at (CZK 33,249), the Karlovy Vary region has the lowest average wage according to statisticians.

The most significant rise in wages during the third quarter of 2021 was registered in the Zlín region, where the average salary grew by 7.1 percent to CZK 33,794.