Latvia experienced a 9% increment in wages during the initial quarter of 2025
In the first quarter of 2025, wage growth across the European Union (EU) showed a notable uptick compared to the same period in the previous year. Notably, no EU Member State recorded a decrease in hourly wage costs, with some countries experiencing double-digit growth.
Slovenia and Romania led the pack with wage increases of 11.9% and 16.1% respectively. Bulgaria and Croatia followed closely with growth of 13.0% and 13.5% respectively. Poland and Hungary also saw significant wage growth of 11.2% and 10.2% respectively.
Germany experienced nominal wage growth of 2.7% between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, with real wages increasing modestly by 0.4% during this period. France showed weaker real wage growth of about 0.7%, nearly returning to early 2021 levels by Q1 2025.
The European Central Bank (ECB) wage tracker, which covers collective bargaining agreements across multiple EU countries, noted an average negotiated wage growth level of approximately 2.9% in 2025. This suggests a general easing of wage growth across participating EU countries in early 2025.
However, the ECB tracker did not provide an explicit ranking of the highest wage growth countries in Q1 2025. Spain, which led in GDP growth during Q1-Q2 2025, did not have direct wage growth figures given for this period.
Among the countries mentioned, Romania had the highest wage growth (16.1%), followed by Croatia (13.5%), Bulgaria (13.0%), Slovenia (11.9%), Poland (11.2%), and Hungary (10.2%). The lowest wage growth was observed in Malta (1.6%) and France (1.9%).
It's worth noting that Latvia's wage growth of 9.3% was higher than the EU average (2.2%) and the Eurozone average (1.5%), as well as being higher than Lithuania's wage growth (9.2%) and Estonia's wage growth (7.9%).
These findings offer a snapshot of the wage growth trends in the EU during Q1 2025. For more detailed country rankings and specific data points, additional official releases from Eurostat or national statistical offices would be required.
In the context of regional finance and business within the European Union (EU), Romania exhibited the highest wage growth of 16.1% in Q1 2025, surpassing the EU average, the Eurozone average, and even the wage growth of nearby countries like Lithuania and Estonia. Meanwhile, some EU countries like France and Malta observed comparatively lower wage growth of 1.9% and 1.6% respectively.
