Regional daily: Harju County still has highest average monthly wage
Wages are expected to grow by 3.5 percent this year, regional daily Virumaa Teataja reports on its website, despite the pandemic, while Harju County remains in first place out of Estonia's' 15 counties by average monthly pay, which is over 50 percent higher than the last-placed county, Hiiumaa.
Wage growth is mostly being driven by the public sector – whose average salary in 2020 stood at €1,563, compared with €1,399 in the private sector, and whose rate of growth is higher; since the bulk of the state agencies, ministries and other public sector bodies have their main offices in Tallinn, Harju County, it is likely unsurprising that this, the most populous region of the country, tops the list of average monthly pay (across all sectors), which follows, as reported by Virumaa Teataja (link in Estonian):
County
- Harju: €1,588
- Tartu: €1,447
- Järva: €1,282
- Põlva: €1,229
- Rapla: €1,199
- Viljandi: €1,188
- Lääne-Viru: €1,181
- Võru: €1,169
- Ida-Viru: €1,161
- Lääne: €1,155
- Saaremaa: €1,148
- Pärnu: €1,147
- Jõgeva: €1,145
- Valga: €1,106
- Hiiumaa: €1,063
The average gross monthly salary has fallen in several counties over recent years, though Lääne-Viru County's, for instance, has bucked that trend, rising from 11th to 7th place in the past three years.
Karina Valma, leading analyst of Statistics Estonia, told Virumaa Teataja that gross monthly salary had still increased despite the pandemic, particularly in information and communication and in professional, scientific and technical activities.
In trade, catering and the arts and entertainment, however, average salaries fell, by nearly 10 percent, nearly 5 percent and over 2 percent respectively, while the Bank of Estonia forecasts wage growth of 3.5 percent for this year, Virumaa Teataja reported.
Virumaa Teataja is part of the Postimees Group.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
