Salaries in Catalonia 13th highest in European Union

The average gross monthly salary in Catalonia is 1,725 euros, placing it 13^th highest in the European Union, according to a report by the Adecco group, the largest temp staffing company in the world. This marks an increase of 0.2% compared to last year, when the average salary was 1,722 euros.

Compared to the EU average gross salary as a whole, which is 2,000 euros per month, Catalan salaries are 13.7% lower.

The report states that despite being lower than the EU average, Catalonia “remains placed in an intermediate situation: there are 15 European countries whose average salaries are lower.” The average Catalan salary doubles more than eight of them. Spain’s average salary is just behind Catalonia’s at 1,639 euros per month.

Meanwhile, there are twelve countries whose salaries are, on average, higher than in Catalonia. Denmark is the highest earning country in the EU, with people earning a median wage of 3,807 euros.

The countries immediately ahead of Catalonia in the ranking include Italy (2,033 euros), France (2,356 euros), and the United Kingdom (2,381 euros.)

Bulgaria has the lowest average salary in the EU, set at 407 euros per month. Romania is just ahead of it with 563 euros per month.

Temporary work

Compared to the rest of the EU, Spain as a whole is the country which had the most workers on temporary contracts during 2017, according to data from Eurostat, the EU statistics office.

Last year, a total of 26.8% of the Spanish workforce, more than one in four, did not have a fixed contract. This figure is even higher amongst young people aged between 15 and 24, where it is set at 73% while the EU average is 44%.

After Spain, the country with the most temporary contracts is Poland, where the figure is around 26%, followed by Portugal, the Netherlands and Croatia.

In Romania and Lithuania, less than 2% of the workforce is on temporary contracts.