Eurostat data show that low wages are not a problem limited only to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the European Union 15 percent of the total workforce receives low wages, that is, earnings that are two-thirds or less than the average wage in the country.
At the same time, there is a marked gender gap, according to the same data, 18.2 percent of women have low wages, while the share of men is 12.5 percent, and younger workers are especially affected, because every fourth low-wage worker in the EU is under 30 years old.
Most low-wage workers in the EU are employed in the catering and food industry, where this share is 35.1 percent, followed by administrative and auxiliary services, where 32 percent of employees are in the low-wage category. In a comparison of 33 European countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina is in 13th place with a share of 17.51 percent of the workforce that has low wages, while the most unfavorable situation is in Bulgaria with 26.84 percent. The lowest share of low wages is recorded in Portugal, where the percentage is 1.77.
When it comes to the countries of the former Yugoslavia, the share of the workforce with low wages in Serbia is 21.89 percent, in Croatia 18.57 percent, while in Slovenia it is 9.38 percent. According to Eurostat’s list, Germany is in ninth place with 18.98 percent of workers who have low wages, while Albania is right behind Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 14th place, with 16.35 percent.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, earlier data indicate that more than 200,000 workers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina receive the lowest wages. The minimum wage in FBiH increased after the Government’s decisions, last year it was 1,000 KM, and this year it was increased to 1,027 KM. In the Republic of Srpska, the minimum wage from the beginning of 2026 is 1,000 KM for the simplest jobs, with higher minimum wages depending on the level of vocational education, from 1,050 KM for a three-year secondary vocational education to 1,450 KM for a higher vocational education.
Interesting information is also provided by the Alma Career BH research, according to which in Bosnia and Herzegovina the amount of salary in 2025 was not a decisive factor when choosing an employer, most of the respondents cited good interpersonal relations as a key element, while the salary was in second place, writes RTV Slon.
