ZAGREB, 22 Jan (Hina) - Anaesthetists, pilots, IT architects, lead developers and doctors are Croatia's highest-paid professions, while service and auxiliary workers such as seamstresses and hairdressers remain the lowest paid, a MojPosao portal analysis shows.
Average monthly net pay, including bonuses, rose 14% last year to €1,538. Median pay climbed 15% to €1,430, narrowing the gap between the two to its smallest level in five years, suggesting faster income growth among lower-paid workers.
Most employees, 38%, still earn between 1,000 and 1,500 euros a month, down from 44% in 2024. Those earning 1,500–2,000 euros rose to 22% from 18%, while the share earning more than €2,000 increased to 15% from 10%. The proportion earning under €1,000 fell to 12% from 27%.
Anaesthetists earn about €3,657 a month on average, pilots €3,246, IT architects €2,823 and doctors €2,729. At the bottom end, seamstresses earn about €864, hairdressers €962, cleaners €963, and tailors and domestic staff around €984.
By sector, IT remains the best paid, with average earnings of €1,789, about 16% above the national average. Finance and insurance follow at €1,622, while energy, utilities and waste management average €1,632. Construction, architecture and real estate stand at €1,612.
Public administration pay averaged €1,526, slightly below the national level. Transport, logistics and postal services, as well as health and social care, averaged €1,506, while education and science lagged at €1,412.
Wages grew fastest in public and local government, up 20%, and in state-owned firms, up 18%. Despite this, the highest pay remains in privately owned, predominantly foreign-owned companies, averaging €1,686.
Employees in micro firms earn €1,383 on average, while pay in small and medium-sized firms is close to the national mean. Large companies with more than 1,000 staff pay about 5% above average.
Regional disparities persist. Eastern counties record the lowest pay, up to 17% below average, while Zagreb leads with average net earnings of €1,662, 8% above the national level. The median pay was €1,520, and average wages were up 14% on 2024.
Strongest wage growth in Krapina-Zagorje County
The strongest wage growth compared with 2024 was recorded in Krapina-Zagorje County, where average net pay rose 20% to €1,453.
Men earned on average 15% more than women last year, down from a 17% gap a year earlier. Average net earnings for men increased 13% to €1,656, while women saw a rise of 15%, though their average pay stood lower at €1,441.
Young workers under 24 earn 21% less than average, with their wages up 11% on 2024, while those over 45 average €1,642, up 15% on the year.
Employees with postgraduate degrees or MBAs earn about €2,381, 55% above the national average. Employees with university degrees earn an average of €1,724, about 12% above the national average and 29% more than workers with secondary education, whose average pay stands at €1,341.
