Romanians work longer hours than the European Union average, yet earn some of the lowest wages per hour across the bloc, according to Eurostat data. The figures point to a persistent imbalance between effort and income, reflecting broader gaps between Eastern and Western Europe.
Romanian employees have some of the lowest wages per hour in the EU, at an average of EUR 13.6 per hour, including salary expenses and social contributions, according to Eurostat data published last month.
The average gross salary in Romania in January 2026 was RON 9,220 (EUR 1,811). With a net average of RON 8,000 (EUR 1,600) per month, IT continues to be the best-paid sector in Romania, followed by oil & gas, automation, construction, engineering, and crewing & casino.
Despite the high-earning sectors, the average net wage in Romania is around EUR 1,000, which translates to low hourly wages. Only Bulgaria is below Romania, with an average pay of EUR 12 per hour, while employees in neighboring Hungary make EUR 15.2 per hour on average.
Unsurprisingly, the EU is split between East and West when it comes to median hourly pay. Employees in Western and Northern Europe make nearly three times as much as those in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. As such, the highest level of labor costs is in Luxembourg (EUR 56.8 per hour), followed by Denmark (EUR 51.7) and the Netherlands (EUR 47.9).
However, Romanian employees work more hours than the European Union average. The data refers to 2024, when the actual weekly hours of work for both full-time and part-time workers aged 20-64 in the EU in their main job averaged 36 hours, down from 37 in 2024. New data is scheduled to be published in May 2026.
The longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9), and Romania (38.8), the same countries that had some of the lowest hourly pay. By contrast, high-earning states like the Netherlands had the shortest working week (32.1 hours), followed by Denmark, Germany, and Austria (each 33.9).
The hours put in translates to productivity, although they are not directly related.
In 2025, EU labour productivity per hour worked grew by 1.4%. The highest increases were observed for Ireland (+10.5%), followed by Latvia (+4.2%), Poland (+4.1%) and Romania (+3.9%), while only Malta (-0.8%) and Italy (-0.6%) recorded negative growth, according data published by Eurostat last month as well.
At regional level, productivity growth was higher for central and eastern European countries, which benefited from a catching-up and convergence process over the period, recording annual average growth rates above the EU average of 1.0% in all regions of Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. The growth rate for the Romanian region of the Bucharest-Ilfov (7.9%) was the highest among European regions.
Despite the long hours and comparatively lower salaries, Romanians are among the most engaged employees in the EU, according to a Gallup survey. The data show that 31% of employees in Romania are engaged at work, placing the country among the top in Europe, alongside Albania (32%), Sweden (25%), and Malta (25%).
(Photo source: Eurostat)
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