Slovenia’s Minimum Wage Not Among the Fastest Growing in the EU

Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 10/1/2024; Author: Eva Gračanin

Slovenia ranks 11th in the EU measured by minimum wage growth over the last five years, and 8th in terms of the absolute amount of gross minimum wage.

The N1 portal ran an article on 31 December detailing proposed amendments to the Minimum Wage Act tabled by Miha Kordiš, an MP for the Left, which would increase the minimum wage next year by three times the rate foreseen in the current law.

The Ministry of Labour, the Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities told N1 that the current Minimum Wage Act, which the National Assembly amended in 2018 at the proposal of the Left, was the party’s biggest success. The ministry claimed that Slovenia has “one of the fastest growing minimum wages in the EU over the last five years, significantly outpacing the growth of other wages”.

The ministry explained to Razkrinkavanje.si that the claim is based on data by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, for countries with a statutory minimum wage. They pointed out that these data do not include any other compulsory payments, such as holiday allowances, and that it makes sense to benchmark data for the second half of the years being compared, because some countries adjust the minimum wage mid-year.

The previous amendments to the Minimum Wage Act were passed by the National Assembly at an emergency session on 13 December 2018 and entered into force the following day.

According to Eurostat data, the minimum wage in Slovenia increased by 41.4%over the last five years (from 2019 to July 2024), which means Slovenia ranks 11th among the 21 member states that have had a statutory minimum wage since at least 2019.

The minimum wage rose at the fastest pace in relative terms in Poland, where minimum wage workers are paid 88.5% more than in 2019. It increased by 69.2% in Romania and 66.6% in Bulgaria.

This year, the minimum wage is highest in Luxembourg, at €2,570, and lowest in Bulgaria, at €477. The highest absolute increase over the past five years was recorded in the Netherlands, where the minimum wage grew by €498.

The claim that Slovenia has “one of the fastest growing minimum wages in the EU, significantly outpacing the growth of other wages” is not true.

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