INS: The average net salary increased by 5% in September. Purchasing power declined for the 15th consecutive month

Real wages in Romania fell by 1.5% in September 2026 compared with the same month last year, marking the 15th consecutive month of declining purchasing power, according to data published Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics. During the same period, average net earnings rose by 5% in nominal terms, but the increase was outpaced by consumer price growth.

The real wage earnings index reached 98.5% compared with September 2025. The series of annual declines began in July 2025 and continued without interruption through September 2026. Compared with August, the purchasing power of average wages fell by 0.3%.

Average net earnings stood at 5,717 lei, up 29 lei from the previous month, while average gross wages reached 9,532 lei. The highest net salaries were recorded in IT programming and consultancy, at 13,513 lei, and in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas, at 13,336 lei. At the opposite end were other service activities, at 2,982 lei, and fishing and aquaculture, at 3,005 lei.

Compared with August, the most significant wage increases were recorded in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas, at 13.4%, and in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products, at 12.7%. The increases were influenced by bonuses, allowances, benefits in kind, profit-related payments and improved production results.

The largest monthly decline was reported in the gambling and betting sector, at 9.3%. In the public sector, net salaries fell slightly in healthcare and public administration, but increased by 1% in education. The NIS emphasizes that monthly developments are influenced by the seasonal awarding of bonuses and that real wages depend on both incomes and inflation.