Romania's net average salary fell by 1.6% to 5,843 lei in April 2026, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS). This decline represents a 95 lei decrease from March 2026. Concurrently, the gross average salary dropped to 9,740 lei, marking a reduction of 162 lei from the previous month.

The real wage index for April was 97.6% compared to March and 93.5% compared to April 2025, as reported by INS. Despite these declines, the net average salary was still 3.5% higher than in April 2025. The real wage index stood at 245% of the October 1990 level, albeit 6.1 percentage points lower than in March 2026.

Sector-specific data revealed that the highest net salaries were in the crude oil and gas extraction industry, where employees earned an average of 15,429 lei. The IT programming and consultancy sector followed with an average of 14,249 lei. Conversely, the fishing and aquaculture sector recorded the lowest salaries at 2,915 lei, closely followed by social assistance without accommodation, which stood at 2,955 lei.

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Significant salary decreases were seen in the film, TV, and music production sectors, with a 24.6% reduction, and in tobacco manufacturing, which experienced a 23.7% drop. Other sectors faced reductions too. Administration, finance, web portals, and advertising saw decreases ranging from 10% to 17.5%. IT programming, machinery, coking products, and broadcasting also faced reductions between 7.5% and 9.5%. These decreases were attributed to the absence of bonuses and benefits distributed in March, coupled with lower production or revenue.

In contrast, the crude oil and gas extraction sector saw a remarkable 41.3% salary increase from March. A dramatic reversal. Other sectors, such as vehicle manufacturing, gambling, leasing, and water transport, experienced salary hikes of 4.5% to 9%. Air transport, insurance, tourism, and metallurgy saw smaller increases between 2.5% and 4.5%, largely due to occasional bonuses and improved revenue.

In the public sector, education salaries decreased by 2.2%, while public administration saw a marginal decline of 0.3%. Health and social assistance salaries increased by 0.7%.

April's salary reductions reflect a broader trend of fluctuating wages influenced by bonuses, premiums, and holiday pay, which were notably higher in March.