Wage increase of 3.4%

Wages in Malta increased by an average of 3.4% in the first quarter of 2015 when compared with the same quarter of 2014.

Eurostat statistics show that this is higher than the EU average of 2.4%.

The highest increases were registered in Bulgaria (7.3%), Latvia (7.2%), and Romania (7.1%).

“These results rubbish the Opposition’s claims that people are feeling strains on their wages and that workers have less money to spend,” the government said in a statement.

It pointed out that salaries increased by 5.7% in the manufacturing sector and by 2.1% in the services sector, that Malta had the second highest job vacancy rate in the EU.

“Such statistics confirm the importance of the government’s work,” the government said. “The number of people who can find a job is increasing thanks to schemes such as the Youth Guarantee, free childcare and in-work benefits.”