EU employee regulations are generally quite strong with an emphasis on individual working conditions and labour rights, including the right to information, anti-discriminatory laws and job security.However, when it comes to salaries and wages across EU member states, there are still significant variations, depending on a number of factors, such as laws, demand, inflation and more.
According to Statista, in 2022, the average annual wages ranged from €73,642 in Iceland, down to €24,067 in Greece.The highest paying countries in 2022 were Iceland (€73,642), Luxembourg (€72,529), Switzerland (€67,605), Belgium (€63,758) and Denmark (€59,405), whereas the lowest payers were Greece (€24,067), Slovakia (€24,337), Hungary (€26,376), Portugal (€29,540) and Czech Republic (€30,967).According to Eurostat, the average hourly labour cost in the EU was €30.5.
Average annual salaries for single employees without children were €26,136. Working couples with two children clocked in an average of €55,573 yearly.The unadjusted gender pay gap was 12.7% in 2021, with the largest gap being seen in Estonia, at 20.5% and the smallest gap being in Luxembourg at -0.2%.
However, according to the European Commission, the pay gap increased 13% in 2023.Back in 2020, the European Commission announced a strategy to attempt to bridge this gap by 2025.