“Nobody will earn more money than they produce for their company. Several top managers can earn up to €100,000 per year, but it is difficult to have an average standard, because the market is very decentralized,” she said.
This shift in top management earnings is partly due to companies’ strategy to keep their staff, including by offering stock options, a practice widespread internationally and currently adopted by several local companies.
“People are paid better and better, because Romania is producing more goods and services, and those managers have earned experience in the past few years,” Patrichi explained. She added bonuses granted to managers in local companies rarely exceed the base salary.
However, Patrichi added, there are still significant gaps in the bonus system for employees, in accordance with their position within the company and especially in accordance to the company’s profile. “If we take Carlos Ghosn [CEO of Renault and Nissan], his earnings seem colossal and unjustified, but we have to divide the figure to the 450,000 employees of the group and the 12 months of the year. The result is some €6 per month for each employee,” she said.
