OREANDA-NEWS. May 27, 2014. Average monthly gross wages and salaries grew in 7.3 percent in Estonia over the past year, and average hourly wages went up 6.9 percent, according to today's quarterly report by Statistics Estonia.

The report showed that in the first quarter of 2014, the average wages and salaries were 966 euros, and the average hourly wage was 6.02 euros. But the median wage lags behind. It rose 55 euros to 689 euros before taxes.

Real wages, which take into account changes in the consumer price index, increased 6.7 percent in the 1st quarter of 2014 when compared to the same quarter of 2013. Real wages increased for the 11th consecutive quarter.

The average gross wages and salaries were 944 euros in January, 948 euros in February and 1,003 euros in March. According to Statistics Estonia's survey, the number of employees as at the end of March was 2.5 percent higher than at the same time in 2013.

The average monthly gross wages and salaries increased the most in agriculture, forestry and fishing (14.7 percent) and the average hourly gross wages and salaries increased the most in transportation and storage (12.6 percent), compared to the same time period in 2013. The increase was smallest in information and communication – by 2.9 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

In the first quarter of 2014, the employer’s average monthly labor costs per employee were 1,305 euros and the average hourly labor costs were 8.56 euros. Compared to the first quarter of 2013, the average monthly labor costs per employee increased by 7.0 percent and the average hourly labor costs per employee by 6.6 percent.

Statistics Estonia has been carrying out the wages and salaries survey since 1992, and the sample includes 11,920 enterprises, institutes and organizations.