The average monthly gross wages and salaries for the whole of 2024 was 8.1 percent higher than in 2023.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the average monthly gross wages and salaries were €2,062, which is 8.3 percent higher than in the same quarter of 2023. 

Sigrid Saagpakk, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said the highest salaries were in Tallinn (€2,325) and in Harju (€2,218) and Tartu (€1,995) counties.

"Compared with 2023, the biggest increase in wages and salaries was seen in Hiiu (9.9 percent) and Ida-Viru (9.7 percent) counties. Wages and salaries rose by more than 6.5 percent in all Estonian counties," the analyst said. 

The IT sector has the highest wages and the average was €3,484 last year.

"This was followed by financial and insurance activities (€3,127) and electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (€2,697)," Saagpakk said. 

The lowest were seen in the accommodation and food service activities (€1,264).

The highest wage increases were recorded in human health and social work activities (11.9 percent) and in other service activities (9.8 percent).

The highest average monthly gross wages and salaries in the fourth quarter of 2024 were recorded in Tallinn at €2,407.

"The average wages and salaries in both Harju and Tartu counties were above the Estonian average, at €2,299 and €2,092 respectively," Saagpakk explained, adding that the lowest wage level in the last quarter was seen in Valga county (€1,507). Saare (€1,584) and Lääne (€1,586) counties were just above.

Median salary slowed in 2024

Median of gross wages (salaries) is the wage level at which half of the employees earn less than that level and half earn more than that level.

Both average and median wages have been rising in recent years, but wage growth slowed in 2024.

"The median wages were €1,628 last year. Compared with 2023, when the median wages stood at €1,501, the wage increase was 8.5 percent," the analyst noted.

In 2024, the largest number of employees – 101,400 people, accounting for 17 percent of all employed persons – was recorded in manufacturing. This was followed by wholesale and retail trade (incl. repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles) with nearly 90,000 employees, education with almost 65,000, and human health and social work activities with close to 48,000 employees.

The median wages in the final quarter of last year were €1,699.

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