Home > Statistics > Index of wage and salary earnings > Average earnings data of the index of wage and salary earnings have been corrected in the release of 28 May 2020

Average earnings data of the index of wage and salary earnings have been corrected in the release of 28 May 2020

The average earnings data published in the index of wage and salary earnings on 28 May 2020 have been corrected. The corrections do not concern the point figures or change percentages of the index of wage and salary earnings.

The average earnings data for 2017 and 2018 were updated in the release of 28 May 2020, even though the data have previously been published as final data. The data were updated because the average earnings calculation was affected by the cut in holiday bonuses that started in the public sector in 2017. Average earnings are estimated from the earnings data of the statistics on wages and salaries for the whole year by means of the index of wage and salary earnings. Unlike in the earnings concept of the index of wage and salary earnings, one-off holiday bonuses are not included in the earnings of the statistics on wages and salaries and therefore they are not included in the average earnings data published in connection with the index of wage and salary earnings.

The average earnings calculation has been corrected and the data for 2017 and 2018 are now the same as the previously released final data. In the data released on 28 May 2020, the average earnings data were too low, especially in the public sector. The revised figures for 2017, which are the same as the previously published final figures, are at most a few dozen euros higher than the figures published on 28 May 2020. For 2018, the revised figures are at most EUR five higher than those published on 28 May 2020. The corrections centre on the 1st to 3rd quarters of 2017 and 2018.

As a result of the correction, the preliminary average earnings figures for 2019 and 2020 also became slightly revised. The revised figures are at most EUR 10 higher than those published on 28 May 2020.

The above-mentioned corrections appear in the following database tables:

- 11zu -- Average monthly earnings by sector and gender, 2000Q1-2020Q1*

- 122k -- Average monthly earnings by sector and gender, 2000-2019*

The corrected and revised figures are indicated in red in the Appendix table published on 28 May 2020:

- Appendix table 11. Average earnings by employer sector and gender, EUR/month

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Last updated 22.6.2020