Salary growth often sounds like good news to citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina when they hear it on television or read it in statistics.
However, reality quickly disproves them – already at the first purchase in the store or when the bills arrive. For many, that famous “growth” exists only on paper, while in everyday life it turns into a mere month-to-month patching.
A year of survival, not progress
The year 2025 will not be remembered by the majority of citizens for political issues or big promises, but for one thing – the struggle to survive until the first of the month. The economy has become a major issue in almost every household: expensive food, high rents, bills, fuel, medicine.
Although wages are nominally growing, this growth is slower than price growth, which is why real purchasing power does not increase, but – decreases.
The minimum wage increased, but the costs “went wild” as well.
In the Federation of BiH, the minimum wage increased from 619 to 1,000 KM, which is the biggest jump in the last few decades. On paper – a big and positive change.
In practice, however, the increase came at a time when prices had already risen drastically. Two employees on the minimum wage can still hardly cover the monthly expenses of a family of four: rent or loan, utilities, food, children’s school obligations and transportation often “eat” the salary before the month is over.
That’s why the sentence is heard more and more often:
“No matter how the salary increases, I don’t feel anything.”
Non-life-changing raises
In most households, increased wages did not make life easier, but only softened the blow of inflation. The money that came through the increase went to what has to be paid for more expensively than before – food, housing, energy and basic services.
Instead of room for a more normal life, the raises only prevented a complete financial collapse.
Renunciations become everyday
The average family today makes new sacrifices every month. What used to be normal – a trip, a weekend away from home, a short trip or a little joy – today is carefully planned or completely deleted from the list.
Life has come down to basic survival: pay the bills, buy food, and hope no unexpected expense pops up.
Pensioners on the brink
Pensioners have a particularly difficult situation. Many openly say that after paying bills and buying medicine, they have too little money left for food.
Minimum pensions have increased slightly, but in reality this increase does not follow the real cost of living. The order is the same every month: first bills, then medicine, and for food – what is left, and often there is almost nothing left, he writes NOISE.
