Private companies in Romania expect base salaries to rise by an average of 5.65% in 2027, following increases of 6.67% in 2026 and 7.47% in 2025, continuing a slowdown in wage growth, according to a PwC PayWell 2026 study.
The slowdown comes against a difficult economic backdrop. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), Romania’s GDP fell by 0.7% year on year in the first half of 2026 (unadjusted data), and the economy stagnated in the second quarter compared with the first.
At the same time, although inflation has eased in recent months, it continues to erode employees’ purchasing power and put pressure on companies to adjust salaries. The average inflation rate over the past 12 months stands at 9.5%, above this year’s average base salary increase.
However, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) expects inflation to fall to 6.1% by the end of this year and to 3.4% by the end of 2027. If these forecasts prove accurate, the salary increases companies expect for next year would outpace inflation.
“Salary growth in recent years has not been backed by higher productivity. Romania is becoming less and less competitive in terms of labor costs. Even though demand for staff has cooled along with the economy, demographic pressures are structural and will become acute again once growth resumes. A sustainable balance can only be restored by raising skill levels, which can support productivity and competitiveness in the long term, especially in a technology-driven economy,” said Oana Munteanu, Director, Workforce Leader, PwC Romania.
In 2026, the largest increases in average base salary were in business process outsourcing and shared service centers (BPO/SSC), at 8.19%, followed by banking, at 6.82%. At the other end of the scale, technology, which led the ranking in 2025, recorded the smallest increase this year, at 2.88%. However, it remains the sector with the highest average gross monthly salary in the study, at RON 21,744.
For 2027, technology companies expect the largest increase in average salary, at 6.56%, followed by retail companies, at 6.40%.
By business function, the largest salary increases in 2026 were in IT (10.66%), legal (9.47%), and strategic planning (9.20%). These functions exist in companies across many sectors and are also the best paid in the sample.
According to the same study, a pay gap in favor of men is widest for high salaries (11.9%) and drops below 5% for mid- range salaries (4.7%). The gap is narrowing compared with previous years: for high salaries, it was 14% in 2024 and 12.9% in 2025. There were no significant changes for mid-range and low salaries. The largest gender pay gaps are still found in banking and technology, although both have narrowed since 2025. In industry and hospitality, women are paid the same as men, or slightly more.
Age is also a factor when it comes to wages. In the sample, employees aged 26 to 43 have the highest salaries, closely followed by those aged 44 to 54. Pay is lower both for employees at the start of their careers, which is explained by their level of seniority, and for those over 55, a group that unfortunately has fewer opportunities for career progression and job mobility.
According to the study, employees rated as high performers earn 18–27% more than their peers.
Regionally, Bucharest-Ilfov has the highest average gross monthly salary in the sample, at RON 17,239. This is almost double the level in Muntenia, around 80% higher than in Moldavia and 52% higher than in Banat and Transylvania. Regional gaps are wider for management positions and narrower for operational roles, largely because management roles are concentrated in the capital.
Aside from salary increases, extra days off are the most common benefit offered by the companies in the study (81%), followed by meal vouchers (78%). Other widespread benefits include private healthcare plans and free coffee and soft drinks. Compared with 2025, fewer companies now offer meal vouchers, reimbursement of holiday expenses, cultural activities, reimbursement for glasses, and gym memberships. By contrast, more companies offer in-office massages, tech devices, additional maternity leave benefits, and coaching.
The PayWell study is based on data from more than 140 participating companies in seven sectors, covering over 198,000 employees and more than 1,400 distinct job positions.
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