In 15 state-held companies average salaries range from 715 to 3,100 euros

The average salary in some state-held companies is 5 or even 7 times higher than the average salary in the economy. Employees in at least 15 state-held companies earn over 3,000 RON (715 euros) in gross salaries, almost double as much as the average salary in the economy, which is now 1,860 RON (442 euros), according to a ZF analysis, which considered the spending and revenue budget of companies subordinated to the Ministry of Economy and to the Ministry of Transportation. The top earners are employees of the ROMATSA (Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration), the régie in charge of air traffic management in the Romanian airspace, where the average gross salary is 13,000 RON per month (3,100 euros). Over the past year, private companies have operated sharp cost cuts in order to survive the economic crisis, sending over 100,000 people into unemployment, freezing or even cutting salaries. "I don't think there is an average gross salary of more than 2,000 euros anywhere in the private sector. One can come across such salaries in firms with one or two employees, but under no circumstances can you find this in large companies," says Ana Glavce, HR manager of TNT Romania, one of the top players on the Romanian courier market.