In February, real wages rose in almost all sectors, while employment declined in most of them.

Wages in February rose year-on-year both in nominal and real terms in 9 out of 10 sectors, with the highest growth recorded in construction. Employment in most sectors remained below the previous year´s level, with wholesale trade recording the most significant year-on-year decrease.

The average nominal monthly wage¹⁾ in February 2026 rose year-on-year in 9 out of 10 monthly monitored economic sectors. The rates of change across sectors varied, ranging  from a decrease of 7% in Information and communication to an increase of 6.9% in construction.

After adjusting for inflation, real wages declined in only one sector—information and communication—where the decrease reached -10.3%. This is the first time since December 2022 that a double-digit month-on-month decline in real wages has been recorded.

In the remaining nine sectors, real wage growth of up to 2% was recorded in market services, as well as in accommodation, transport and storage, and retail trade, including the sale and repair of motor vehicles. In the key sector with the largest number of employees, real wages increased year-on-year by 1.5%. Real wages rose by more than 2% in wholesale trade, as well as in food and beverage service activities, and particularly in construction.

In total for the first two months of 2026, nominal wages increased in 9 out of 10 monthly monitored sectors, while real wages rose in 7 of them. The development of real wages ranged from a decrease of 7.2% in information and communication to an increase of 2.7% in accommodation and food service activities.

Employment development

Employment²⁾ showed a year-on-year decline in February 2026 in 6 out of 10 monthly monitored sectors, with the most significant decline recorded in wholesale trade, by 4%. Other key sectors, including retail trade and industry, also experienced reductions in employment of up to 2%. Conversely, employment increased in 4 sectors, with accommodation seeing the largest growth, exceeding 5%.

More moderate growth, below 4%, was also recorded in construction, selected market services, and the information and communication sector.

In total, since the beginning of 2026, employment rose year-on-year in 6 out of 10 sectors, most notably in accommodation, by nearly 7%. A decline of up to 4% was recorded in industry, transport fand storage, retail trade, and especially wholesale trade.