The wage increases announced for 2027 may not necessarily mean more money in employees’ pockets. The reason is inflation, which has already reached 11.2%, while prices could continue to rise. Sergiu Sainciuc, Vice President of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM), has issued the warning.
According to Sainciuc, if wages increase next year only to keep pace with rising prices, employees will not feel a real increase in their incomes.
“An average wage increase for next year would mean that we reach zero, meaning that employees will not feel any real growth,” Sainciuc said.
In other words, if prices rise at the same rate as wages, employees will receive more money on paper, but that money will buy roughly the same amount of goods and services.
What Will Happen to Public-Sector Wages
Sainciuc also drew attention to how authorities will set the reference value used to calculate the salaries of a large number of public-sector employees. Currently, the reference value stands at 4,200 lei for a significant share of public-sector workers.
Trade unions want greater clarity on how this amount will change in the coming years. Sainciuc said there are discrepancies between economic growth projections and the reference values included in scenarios for the coming years.
For example, for 2028, the trade union leader calculated that if the economy grows by 3.2%, the reference value of 4,200 lei should reach approximately 4,334 lei. However, the scenarios under review include a value of 4,600 lei.
“If not, then we have a contradiction,” Sainciuc said.
The trade union representative also said that, according to plans for the coming years, the public-sector wage bill could increase by approximately 8%, 10% or even 12%. These figures could allow for wage increases, but the key question is how much they will exceed inflation.
If wages grow faster than prices, employees will see a real increase in their incomes. However, if rising prices absorb the wage increases, purchasing power will not increase significantly.
“As for the rate of the reference value, based on economic growth, there is a contradiction. We need to look into this,” the CNSM vice president stressed.
The trade unions are therefore calling for clarification on how salaries will be determined for 2027 and the following years, as inflation could reduce the impact of the announced wage increases.