Our country is among the 13 countries in the European Union where the minimum wage is below 1,000 euros, according to Eurostat data released as Greece begins the countdown to a new increase in the minimum wage from May 1, the amount of which will be determined by mid-April.
But even if the increase is indeed significant, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Minister Plenipotentiary Kostis Hatzidakis have said, it is unlikely to reach 1,000 euros on a 12-month basis (i.e. if you add the Christmas bonus and the 13th salary to it) .
Recall that in Greece, from January 1, 2022, the minimum wage increased by 2% and reached 663 euros per month, which, when distributed over 12 months, is 774 euros per month.
To reach a salary of 1,000 euros, an increase of 29.2% is required, which is considered unlikely. In any case, the wave of inflation that swept through the market and in practice prompted the government to accelerate the process of raising the minimum wage, along with GDP growth, creates conditions for scenarios close to 6%. Thus, the new minimum wage will increase from 1 May to 703 euros (on a 14-month basis) or to 820 euros on a 12-month basis.
According to Eurostat data for January, other countries with a minimum wage of less than 1,000 euros are Bulgaria (332 euros), Latvia (500 euros), Romania (515 euros), Hungary (542 euros), Croatia (624 euros), Slovakia (646 euros). ), Czech Republic (652 euros), Estonia (654 euros), Poland (655 euros), Lithuania (730 euros), Malta (792 euros) and Portugal (823 euros).
Next come six countries with minimum wages over €1,000 and two countries with minimum wages of just over €1,000 per month. Thus, in Slovenia, the minimum wage was set at 1,074 euros, in Spain at 1,126 euros, and countries with wages above 1,000 euros per month are France (1,603 euros), Germany (1,621 euros), Belgium (1,658 euros). ), the Netherlands (1725 euros), Ireland (1775 euros) and Luxembourg (2257 euros).
Denmark, Italy, Cyprus, Austria, Finland and Sweden are excluded from the ranking, because in these countries there is no such thing as a “minimum wage”.
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