Average wages in Slovakia increased at the beginning of 2025, although rising inflation limited the real growth. According to data from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, the average nominal monthly wage in the first quarter reached EUR 1,518, up 4.9% compared to the same period last year. This represents an average increase of EUR 71. While the pace of nominal wage growth slightly accelerated compared to the previous quarter, inflation slowed real wage growth to 1%, the slowest since late 2023. After seasonal adjustment, the average wage increased by 1.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. Across the economy, 18 out of 19 monitored sectors recorded a year-on-year increase in nominal wages. In two-thirds of the sectors, wage growth exceeded the national average. Increases ranged from 1% in education to nearly 14% in real estate activities and mining and quarrying. After adjusting for inflation, 16 sectors registered real wage growth, while three sectors—energy supply (electricity, gas, steam), education, and public administration—recorded a decrease in real terms. Employees in mining and quarrying, real estate, and water supply reported the highest real wage growth. Among sectors with high employment levels, trade outperformed industry for the first time in over a year. Nominal wages in trade rose by 6.2% to EUR 1,453, with real growth of 2.2%, exceeding the national average. Industry, the largest employer, saw nominal wage growth of 4.3%, with the average wage reaching EUR 1,624 and real growth of just 0.4%. The highest average monthly wage was recorded in financial and insurance activities, exceeding EUR 3,100. Employees in information and communication and in electricity, gas, and steam supply also earned over EUR 2,600 per month. However, in 11 of the 19 monitored sectors, gross wages remained below the national average. The lowest wages were found in accommodation and food services (EUR 908) and in other activities (EUR 964). Regionally, Bratislavský kraj was the only region with above-average wages, averaging EUR 1,901. In other regions, wages ranged from EUR 1,179 in Prešovský kraj to EUR 1,417 in Trenčiansky kraj. Nominal wages increased year-on-year in all regions, with the most notable rise of 8.2% recorded in Nitriansky kraj. Real wage growth was observed in five regions, with Nitriansky and Trenčiansky kraj seeing increases of more than 2%. Wages decreased in real terms in Bratislavský and Žilinský kraj, while remaining unchanged in Banskobystrický kraj compared to the previous year.