A new regional study by Undelucram reveals a widening gap between employee expectations and employer offers in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), with salary dissatisfaction emerging as a top concern across all five surveyed countries: Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Republic of Moldova.
Across all countries surveyed, better salary and benefits packages are the number one reason employees would change jobs, as 63% of Romanian employees, 72% of Greeks, and 74% of Bulgarians are considering changing jobs for better compensation.
Hungarians are the most dissatisfied with their current pay (59%), followed by Bulgarians (56%), Moldovans and Greeks (48%). Greece also has the highest percentage (44%) of employees who haven’t had a salary increase in the past two years.
While many employees are hopeful, 51% across the region expect salaries to stagnate in the next two years. Only 13% of companies regionally plan significant salary increases, and about 44% plan targeted adjustments.
Salary expectations vs. reality across the region
There’s a significant gap between what employees earn and what they believe they deserve:
- In Romania, 18% believe they deserve salaries over EUR 3,000, but only 7% actually earn that.
- In Hungary, 16% of workers share the same expectation, but only 6% meet it.
- Moldovans have the lowest actual earnings, with 70% making under EUR 1,000/month.
- Greeks most commonly expect EUR 1,000–1,500, while Bulgarians and Hungarians favor the EUR 1,500–2,000 range.
The state of employee benefits in CEE
While salary remains central, benefits are becoming increasingly important, as meal vouchers and private health insurance are common across most countries.
Flexible hours/remote work are most frequently offered in Hungary and Romania, and 8% of employees across the region receive no extra-salary benefits at all.
Top desired benefits (consistent across the region) include flexible benefits budget (e.g., monthly allowances for health, education, wellness), additional vacation days, holiday/cultural vouchers, flexible working conditions.
HR professionals say that, on average, companies spend EUR 100–200/month on benefits (34%), EUR 200–400/month (23%), and less than EUR 100 (33%).
