Wages are stagnating

At enterprises with a minimum of five employees and at budgetary institutions, gross average wages improved by 1.3 percent and net average wages increased by 1 percent in the first six months of 2009, compared to the same period last year. KSH’s report indicates that real wages were 2.2 percent lower than last year (up by 0.4 percent in the competitive sector and down by 8.4 percent in the public sector). Average gross wage was HUF 198,200 (those working for enterprises earned HUF 197,000, while employees at budgetary institutions took home HUF 204,100).