The nominal gross earnings in May were RON 1,704, 2.7 percent lower than in April 2008. The tempering of earnings was mainly due to Easter bonuses offered in April. This is the third drop in net average wage this year (following that in February, compared to January, and that in January, compared to December). In real terms, and considering the advance in inflation, the net average wage rose by 13.7 percent in May 2008, compared to the same period last year, when the net average wage was RON 1,012 (€308).
The average net salary in October 1990 (when prices were first liberalized in Romania) had 20.3 percent higher purchasing power than that in May 2008, according to the same INS data.
