Romania: New Minimum Wage of RON 4,325 Takes Effect July 2026

After the increase of the minimum wage was postponed in January 2026, the Government has set by Government Decision No. 146/2026 the new gross minimum wage guaranteed in payment for full-time employees to RON 4.325 (just below EUR 850 or USD 975) starting with July 2026.

As a general rule a new minimum wage is set each January with the possibility of a revision in July, but in 2026 due to concerns raised by the employers regarding the socio-economic context the annual revision of the minimum wage was postponed for July. After the Government held extensive discussions with the union and employers’ federations the gross minimum wage is set to increase from the current value of RON 4.050 to RON 4.325 (an increase of around 7%). Starting with July 2026 all wages set to values lower than the minimum wage will need to be aligned with the new value.

Official statistics show that in 2025 around 830.000 employees were remunerated at the minimum wage value, but the current increase will affect more than 1.7 million employees that are currently being remunerated under the new value set for the minimum wage.

Practical point

A general rule stating that an employee cannot be remunerated at the minimum wage level for more than 2 years is still in place, meaning that the employers need to keep track of this metric and update the salary accordingly.