CHIŞINĂU (Imedia) - The National Bureau of Statistics said recently that salaries for private employees have decreased by 0.1 percent thus far this year compared to the same period last year.

In the last part of 2009, salaries were going up by about 3-9 percent a month compared to 2008, a lot under averages in previous years, which would often reach 20-, 25- or even 30 percent rates.

Over 70 percent of Moldovan employees received less compensation in October 2009 compared to the same period last year. Farmers, industrial workers (especially in the extractive and processing industries), and construction workers had smaller salaries because their fields were hit rather badly by the economic crisis. Sales employees received 2.3 percent less money compared to October 2008. The crisis has also affected workers in financial institutions, transportation, and communications.

Salaries have fallen because of the economic crisis, and the Government and experts do not expect the situation to improve much in 2010, despite a predicted 1.5-percent rate of economic growth.

Comentary:

Dorin Vaculovschi: „Salaries were affected by a 25-percent drop in production and a six-percent decrease in employment"

„If we look at everything that happened in 2009, we see that the output of industry, transportation, and other branches of the economy suffered a lot. The number of employees, however, fell at a smaller rate, and salaries went down as a result," says Dorin Vaculovschi, an economist.

„You can't have a 25-percent decrease in production and a six-percent drop in employment - there has to be some sort of correlation. That incongruence affected salaries," Mr. Vaculovschi adds.

He stresses that some employees accepted to work part-time and receive smaller salaries in order to keep their jobs.

„Salaries will keep falling for a few months," Mr. Vaculovschi predicts, noting that „we are feeling the effects of the crisis, although the drop in remuneration happened later than the drop in production. Likewise, salaries will go up after economic recovery begins."

Adrian Lupusor: „Public employees are less affected than private employees"

Adrian Lupusor, a researcher, says that the salaries of many public employees, which went up 20 percent during the crisis, have not been affected by the recession.

„Those who were affected are private employees," the expert notes. Mr. Lupusor explains, however, that the situation may not be as bad as official statistics suggest considering the fact that some private companies pay their employees in cash. These transactions do not show up in accounting records and, consequently, are not recorded by statistical data collectors.

During a crisis, the number of employers paying salaries in cash could go up, especially in constructions, transportation, trade, and so on. Such transactions are much less likely with public  employers, Mr. Lupusor suggests.

„Many employers have also used the economic crisis to cut salaries," he concludes.

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Salaries went up by an average of 24.3 percent between 2004 and 2009. That number fell to 5.7 percent in the last half of 2009, says the National Bureau of Statistics.

Public servants received raises that have brought their compensation closer to the average Moldovan salary - 2,686.2 lei, up 2.6 percent compared to 2008.

Private employees made an average of 2,890 lei (0.1 percent less compared to the same period last year), while public servants received an average of 2,333 lei, up 13.4 percent.

Teachers and doctors received raises worth 19.7 percent and 21.4 percent, respectively, compared to 2008. In the first ten months of 2009, salaries for public servants went up by an average of 22.1 percent - reaching 2,341 lei. Private salaries went up five percent to 2,902 lei.

Between January and October, the highest salaries were registered in communications companies with mixed Moldovan and foreign ownership (9,985 lei), foreign-owned construction companies (8,436 lei), mixed ownership electricity, heating, gas, and water companies (8,205.5 lei), and similar foreign-owned companies (7,494.5 lei), financial public institutions (7,051.5 lei), foreign-owned financial institutions (6,900 lei), and foreign-owned real estate businesses (6,848 lei).

Private farmers had the smallest salary - 1,280 lei. The Government has estimated a 2,950-leu average salary for 2010, 7.3 percent higher than the average salary in 2009.