The average net income for such activities in May 2007 was some RON 3746 (€1125). At the opposite end and in last place we find wages for employees in the wood and cork processing and production industry, excepting furniture. This category had a net average wage of RON 594 (€180). Fur- thermore, the highest increase oc- cured in the financial intermediation business where wages rose 24.8 percent from April. However, it is more likely Easter bonuses than salary negotiations or increased productivity determined this increase.
Other sectors with very low wages are agriculture (RON 687/€219), leather tanning and finishing (RON 603/€192), apparel production (RON 606/€193), and hotels and restaurants (RON 602/less than €192). Air transport, the tobacco industry, hydrocarbon extraction and related services all pay over RON 2,000 (some €637). The best-paying jobs in the area of transportation are in air transport, while average wages for employees responsible for ground and conduit transport registered a drop to RON 1,001 (€319), and naval transporta- tion to RON 1,214 (€387).
In terms of economic sectors, there are variations from agriculture, where the average net salary in May was RON 687, to food and beverage industry (RON 767/€244), construc- tion (RON 848/€270), metallurgy (RON 1,423/€453), and mining (RON 1,498/€477). Wages in sensitive sectors, such as education, registered an average of RON 1,045 (€333), while the net average wage for health and social services was RON 869 (€277). Top increases were registered in the financial intermediation sector (24.8 percent), closely followed by mail and cou- rier services (24.4 percent). Wages in the textile and apparel production industry were up by 2-6 percent, as were those in wood and cork processing and production, leather tanning and finishing, machine and equipment industry, production and distribution of electrical and thermal energy, and gas and water.
The average net wage in May was RON 1,012 (some €310), RON 15 lower than the month before. The gross average wage was RON 1,361 (€410) in May 2007, 1.9 percent lower than in April, and up in May 2007 by almost a quarter, or 21.5 percent.
