CroatiaIn Croatia, wages continued to rise in 2026, but the pace significantly slowed down. After a period where workers tried to compensate for lost purchasing power due to high inflation, wage growth now increasingly reflects chronic labor shortages and changes in the public sector pay system. The average net wage increased by approximately nine percent over the past year, and most employees achieved real wage growth as inflation slowed. However, there was a noticeable slowdown in trends since the beginning of this year, with real wage growth dropping from around 6% in early 2025 to just +2% in April 2026. The average April net wage was 1,552 euros, with significant differences between sectors. Sectors facing labor shortages, such as finance, construction, trade, and tourism, continued to increase wages to attract and retain staff. Conversely, sectors like agriculture, textile industry, clothing production, and parts of labor-intensive manufacturing saw slower wage growth, increasing the gap between the best and worst paid sectors. While public sector wages remained higher on average, the gap is narrowing, with the best-paid jobs in the private sector (ICT, financial sector) regaining a
Bias read (Center): The article presents a balanced overview of wage growth across different sectors in Croatia, highlighting both increases and stagnation without overtly favoring any particular political stance. It reports on economic data and trends without taking a clear ideological position, thus leaning toward a
