In the 3^rd quarter, wages in Slovakia continued to rise at a faster pace than inflation, though in real terms, they increased by only 1.3%

Average gross wages rose nearly by 6% year-on-year, exceeding EUR 1 000 for the first time across all 19 monitored sectors. While nominal wages rose across the economy, three sectors lagged behind inflation. The most significant real term gains were observed among employees in real estate, mining, and healthcare.

In the 3^rd quarter of 2025, the average nominal monthly wage in Slovakia reached EUR 1 569, up 5.7% year-on-year, or roughly EUR 85 more per employee. However, wage growth slowed compared to the previous quarter, and after adjusting for rising inflation from July to September, real wage growth dropped to 1.3% – the second slowest in the past eight quarters. Seasonally adjusted, wages remained unchanged from the 2^nd quarter 2025.

In the structure of the economy, all 19 monitored sectors recorded year-on-year growth in average nominal wages. The increase in gross wages ranged from almost 2% in professional, scientific, and technical activities to more than 12% in the real estate sector. After accounting for inflation, 16 sectors experienced real wage growth, while in 3 sectors wages declined in real terms: in professional, scientific, and technical activities by 2.4%, in arts, entertainment, and recreation by 1.4%, and in administrative services by 1%. Employees in 11 sectors achieved higher real wage growth than the average for the entire Slovak economy. The most significant increases, exceeding 5%, were recorded in three fields of the economy: real estate activities, mining and quarrying, and healthcare. The wage growth of healthcare employees was related to the 2025 adjustment for selected professions.

Wage growth also experienced a slowdown in the 3^rd quarter of 2025 in the sectors employing the largest number of people in Slovakia, namely industry and trade. Nevertheless, the industry maintained a year-on-year wage growth by 5.7%, corresponding to the average for the entire Slovak economy. The gross wage of employees in industry reached an average of EUR 1 672, with real wages increasing by 1.3%. In trade, nominal wages rose by 5.3% to EUR 1 487, which is below the overall economy’s average. The real wage growth there amounted to 1%.

Currently, the highest average monthly wage, exceeding EUR 2 500, was recorded by employees in information and communication, in financial and insurance services, as well as in electricity, gas, and steam supply. However, in 9 out of the 19 monitored sectors of the economy, the gross wage lagged behind the national average. The accommodation and food services sector continues to have the lowest wages, though their gross wage has surpassed EUR 1 000 for the first time. All monitored sectors thus reached an average wage exceeding EUR 1 000 threshold.

From a regional perspective, only Bratislavský kraj maintained an above-average wage, reaching EUR 1 866. In the other regions, wages ranged from EUR 1 252 in Prešovský kraj to EUR 1 495 in Trnavský kraj. Nominal wages increased year-on-year in all regions, with the most significant rise of 8.4% recorded in Nitriansky kraj. After accounting for inflation, real wages also increased in all regions of Slovakia, the highest in Nitriansky kraj (by 3.9%) and the lowest in Bratislavský kraj (by 0.3%).

In total, for the first to third quarters of 2025, the average nominal monthly wage of an employee in the Slovak economy amounted to EUR 1 580. Year-on-year, it increased by 6.5%, though the growth rate slowed by 0.8 percentage points compared to the corresponding period last year. Real wages for the first nine months rose by 2.3% year-on-year. After adjusting for inflation, 18 sectors recorded real wage growth, while only 1 sector – energy supply (electricity, gas, and steam – experienced a real wage drop.