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Krista Vaikmets, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that there was a year-on-year increase in average monthly gross wages in all counties, but the extent of the wage growth varied regionally. “The increase in average gross wages was the biggest in Ida-Viru county (8%) and Hiiu county (7%) and somewhat more modest in Põlva, Jõgeva and Valga counties, where the rise in wages was around 4%,” said Vaikmets.

At the county level, the average monthly gross wages and salaries were still the highest in Harju county (2,488 euros), followed by Tartu county (2,285 euros). In both of these counties, average wages grew by 5% in the second quarter year on year.

 “In Tallinn, the average gross wages were 2,611 euros in the second quarter and increased by about 5.3% compared with the second quarter of last year, when the average wages in Tallinn were 2,479 euros,” noted Vaikmets.

Average wages were again the highest in information and communication

The economic activity with the highest average gross wages was information and communication where average gross wages were 3,837 euros in the second quarter. “However, the rate of growth (3.6%) was not as fast as before,” added Vaikmets. The average gross wages in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply grew by 19.6% year on year and were 3,783 euros in the second quarter. “Here, we should consider the reference base – a year ago, the wage growth in this economic activity was just 0.8%. The rise in average wages in this activity has also been influenced by restructuring in the enterprises in the energy sector,” noted Vaikmets. 

The lowest average gross wages and salaries were again registered in accommodation and food service activities (1,389 euros). In other service activities, the average monthly wages were 1,430 euros in the second quarter. “The level of wages in these economic activities is low but still showed growth year on year – in both activities, average wages increased by about 4%,” said Vaikmets. 

Looking at other larger activities, average gross wages grew by 6% in manufacturing, by 5.7% in trade and by 5.1% in construction. 

There were 588,710 employees in the second quarter, down by 5,183 from the year before. In the second quarter of 2026, the largest number of employees – 101,085 – worked in manufacturing, representing 17% of all employees. This was followed by wholesale and retail trade (incl. repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles) with 85,548 employees, education with 64,578 employees, and human health and social work activities with 48,619 employees.

Compared with the first quarter, the number of employees was up by 8,611. “One of the reasons is the higher number of seasonal workers,” explained Vaikmets. 

The median of gross wages (salaries) is the wage level at which half of the employees earn less than that level and half earn more than that level. The median wages were 1,840 euros in the second quarter of 2026, which is 6.1%, or 106 euros, higher than in the second quarter of 2025. “The trends for median wages are similar to the trends for average gross wages both by county and by economic activity,” said Vaikmets.

Average monthly gross wages and salaries are calculated as the ratio between payment and labour contribution. Payment means any monetary consideration paid to an employee, including wages, bonuses, holiday pay and other compensation, as well as interest on arrears, for example. The median of gross wages (salaries) is the wage level at which half of the employees earn less than that level and half earn more than that level.

Since the first quarter of 2023, Statistics Estonia uses data from the employment register of the Tax and Customs Board and the income and social tax declarations to publish the average wages and salaries. People working under employment contracts, the Civil Service Act (excluding employees in the areas of governance of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior), and service contracts are included.

Starting from the third quarter of 2025, Statistics Estonia also publishes data on average wages and salaries in municipalities. The data are based on the location of the place of work, not the location of the place of residence of the employee. For example, if a person lives in Rae rural municipality but has a place of work based in Tallinn, this person’s wages are included in the statistics for Tallinn. See the annual data and quarterly data in the statistical database.

Pursuant to the amendment to the Employment Contract Act that entered into force on 13 February 2026, an employee and an employer may conclude a flexible working time agreement. Such arrangements are not included in the wages and salaries statistics currently published by Statistics Estonia. Statistics Estonia will monitor the use of flexible working time agreements based on register data and will make plans for the necessary methodological changes in the future.

The wages and salaries statistics are based on the Estonian Classification of Economic Activities (EMTAK 2008). A new version of the classification was implemented in 2025. Statistics Estonia will analyse the impact of the changes in the new version (EMTAK 2025) on wages and salaries statistics. 2025 and 2026 data according to EMTAK 2025 will be published in 2027 the latest.

The changes in gross monthly wages do not reflect the impact of the basic exemption which was raised from 2026, as this mainly concerns employees’ net wages and salaries.

Data as at 3 September 2026 are published. The indicator values may change if there are any revisions made in the data sources after this date.

More detailed data have been published in the wages and salaries and labour costs section on our website. 

See the latest data on wages in Statistics Estonia’s earnings application.

When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source. 

For further information:

Annaliisa Köss
Media Relations Partner
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)

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