Slovenia between countries with the lowest share of low -paid workers

Almost 15 percent of all employees of the European Union are one of the low -paid workers, according to the latest data from the European Statistical Office Eurostat. But what does it mean to be a « low -paid worker » in the European context? By definition Eurostat These are employees who earn two -thirds or less than a medium (median) gross salary per hour in their country. Median salary is the value that distributes all employees into two equal jobs – half of them deserve more and half less than that value. Being under two -thirds of this border, therefore, means receiving income that is far behind average earnings in the country.

Data Eurostat They reveal considerable differences between different population groups. Gender gap is noticeable: as many as 18.2 percent of women are among the low paid, while there are significantly less such men, at 12.5 percent. Young people are particularly exposed, because, as Eurostat notes, every fourth low -paid worker under the age of 30 is. This indicates that young people often have worse conditions when entering the labor market or perform work that are less evaluated.

The geographical distribution of low wages across Europe is very uneven. The highest proportions of low -paid workers Eurostat It records in Bulgaria (as much as 26.8 percent of all employees), Romania (23.9 percent), Latvia (23.3 percent), Serbia (21.9 percent) and Greece (21.7 percent).

On the other side of the scale, we find countries with significantly lower shares, which indicates a more even distribution of salaries among employees. Among the countries with the lowest rates of low -paid workers, according to data Eurostat Portugal, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Italy and Slovenia.

Analysis Eurostat It also shows that some economic activities are more exposed to low wages than others. At the top of the list are catering and food preparation activities, where more than a third (35.1 percent) of all low -paid EU workers work. They are closely followed by administrative and supporting service activities, where the share of low paid 32 percent.

In addition to the sector, the amount of salary is also significantly influenced by the type of employment contract and the employee’s education achieved. Eurostat data clearly indicate that fixed -term employees are more likely to have a low -paid (27.2 percent) category compared to those who have an indefinite permanent contract (12.6 percent). Education makes a huge difference: nearly 28 percent among workers with the most elementary school education achieved. For those with secondary education, this share is 17.5 percent, while only 4.8 percent of employees with higher or higher education are low, Eurostat notes.