Average wages - 3. quarter of 2021

In the Q3 2021, the average gross monthly nominal wage per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee in the national economy increased by 5.7% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. In real terms, it increased by 1.5%. The median wage was CZK 32 979.

In the Q3 2021, the average gross monthly nominal wage^*) (hereinafter only referred to as ‘the average wage’) per FTE employee in the national economy in total was CZK 37 499, which is by CZK 2 012 (5.7%) more than in the corresponding period of 2020. In the aforementioned period, consumer prices increased by 4.1% and the wage thus increased by 1.5% in real terms. The volume of wages increased by 6.8%; the number of employees increased by 1.0%.

Compared to the previous quarter, the seasonally adjusted average wage increased by 1.5% in the Q3 2021.

According to the breakdown of economic activities (industries) by the CZ-NACE section, the lowest increase of the average wage compared to the corresponding period of 2020 was in the following economic activities (CZ-NACE sections): ‘arts, entertainment and recreation’ (0.6%) and ‘public administration and defence; compulsory social security’ (2.3%). “Also in the 3rd quarter, the high increase of wages maintained in ‘human health and social work activities’ – this time it was by 8%. However, the highest growth was in ‘real estate activities’ – namely by 11.8%,” Jitka Erhartová, Head of the Labour Statistics Unit, comments.

The median wage (CZK 32 979) increased by 5,7 % compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The male median wage reached CZK 35 086 and the female one was CZK 30 433. Eighty per cent of employees earned wages within the interval from CZK 17 133 to CZK 58 875.

In the Q1 to Q3 2021, the average wage reached CZK 37 047; in the year-on-year comparison, the increment was CZK 2 362 (6.8%). Consumer prices increased for the aforementioned period by 3.1%; the wage increased by 3.6% in real terms.
 

_________________

^*) The average gross monthly wage is a share of wage funds (including extra pay for overtime work, bonuses, compensation of wages, etc.) for one employee per month. Therefore, it does not indicate what wage one specific employee has. The earnings structure statistics, in which data on earnings of individual employees are available, show that about two thirds of employees have a wage below the national average.

The median wage represents a value of an employee wage in the middle of the wage distribution. It means that one half of the wages is lower and the second half of the wages is higher than the median wage. Unlike the average wage, which is calculated based on background data from enterprise reports, the median must be derived from a statistical-mathematical model based on a sample survey, because enterprise questionnaires (reports) only contain aggregated data for a whole enterprise or an organisation.

Notes:

The data are preliminary. Refined data will be available in March 2022.

Responsible head at the CZSO: Dalibor Holý, Director of the Labour Market and Equal Opportunities Statistics Department, phone number (+420) 274 052 694, e-mail: dalibor.holy@csu.gov.cz
Contact person: Jitka Erhartová, Head of the Labour Statistics Unit, phone number (+420) 274 052 116, e-mail: jitka.erhartova@csu.gov.cz
Method of data acquisition: The direct survey and models of the CZSO; the ISAE (Information System on Average Earnings) model
End of data processing: 19 November 2021
Related data set: 110024-21 Registered number of employees and their wages (the third quarter of 2021),
/current-product/41269
Next News Release will be published on: 7 March 2022