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The economist Žygimantas Mauricas shares in his personal account of the social network that Vilnius surpassed Riga in salaries in 2019, and last year the pandemic did not prevent other cities from advancing: at the end of the year, Kaunas and Klaipeda already surpassed Riga in salaries average.
“Who would have thought that not only in Vilnius, but also in Kaunas and Klaipėda, wages would be higher than in Riga?” Asked the economist rhetorically.
Still, Ž. According to Maurico, such results are not surprising, considering that the annual growth of wages “in hand” in Kaunas and Klaipeda in the last quarter of last year reached 13%, while at that time in Riga, only 6%, and in Vilnius – 11%.
“It would be time for them to arrest Riga, as it already follows it by up to 17%. Šiauliai, who showed the growth of wages, remains a difference of 101 euros between Šiauliai and Riga,” says the economist.
According to Ž. Maurico, currently the average salary “on hand” in Vilnius is 1082 euros, in Tallinn it is 1359 euros, in Kaunas – 1005 euros, and in Klaipeda – 1002 euros. At that time, the average salary “on hand” in Riga is 966 euros (in Šiauliai – 865 euros).
Ž. Mauricas adds that Latvians should be very uncomfortable with such statistics because, for example, in the interwar period (1918-1940) wages in Latvia were roughly double those in Lithuania, so Lithuanians often went to Riga to earn money.
Ž. Maurici also draws attention to the fact that wages in Vilnius already exceed not only those in the neighboring capital, but also those in Moscow. True, so far it is not very significant – the average salary “on hand” in Vilnius is 1 euro higher than in Moscow – 1083 and 1082 euros, respectively.
“Interestingly, in Vilnius they are already half that in Saint Petersburg, double that in Minsk and almost triple that in Königsberg (wages in this city are lower than the Lithuanian minimum of 468 euros), and in Pskov, which reflects perfectly the “provincial” economic situation of Russia, wages are almost four times lower than in neighboring Estonia.
Therefore, it is not in oil and gas beds, but in freedom that the secret of the well-being of countries and cities is found ”Ž. Mauricas.
Are low wages attractive to investors?
In a comment Ž. Maurice adds that cheaper labor could be attractive to many investors, so attracting more businesses to the city could create more competitive jobs.
“Recently, many Lithuanians are investing in Riga, so Riga has some opportunities to catch up.
But the demographic situation in Riga is not favorable – the working age population in Vilnius is higher than in Riga – after about 5 years and the total population of Vilnius will increase.
Lately, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai have also shown positive demographic trends, so I would say there is more potential in Lithuania, ”Ž adds. Mauricas.
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