PASOK and EL.A.S. are once again trying to present a selective picture of the Greek economy. They single out a Eurostat indicator for gross annual salaries, ignore the trend in net pay and seek to persuade people that Greece remains stuck near the bottom of the European rankings, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.
The trouble is, the figures do not bend to suit the opposition.
Since 2019, the gross minimum wage has risen from €650 to €920 in 2026, an increase of €270, or 41.5%.
Meanwhile, according to data from the ERGANI information system, the average monthly salary of full-time employees in the private sector rose from €1,264 in 2019 to €1,516 in 2025. That equates to €21,224 a year when calculated on the basis of 14 salaries.
The labour cost index, according to Eurostat data, rose by 38.6% between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2026, compared with a 24.4% increase in the Consumer Price Index over the same period. The figures show that, despite the international inflation shock and successive crises in recent years, labour costs in Greece have risen considerably faster than the general price level.
As for comparisons with other European countries, Eurostat data show that in the second half of 2026, on a 12-month equivalent basis, Greece’s minimum wage stands at €1,073, matching Portugal’s and well above levels in countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
There is, however, another crucial indicator that PASOK and EL.A.S. are choosing to leave out of the debate: net pay.
What matters to employees is how much money they have left after tax and social security contributions. That sum, together with the price level, determines their real purchasing power. And here, the European ranking, again according to Eurostat data, presents a very different picture from the one the opposition is trying to portray.
Across all household types, average net annual earnings have risen significantly since 2019.
For example, in single-person households, average net annual earnings rose from €15,112 in 2019 to €21,498 in 2025, an increase of 42.3%. Greece now ranks ahead of ten European Union countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Portugal.
For households with two earners and two children, with earnings at the average level, net annual earnings stood at €51,867 in 2025, compared with €37,995 in 2019, an increase of 36.5%. Greece also ranks ahead of ten EU countries in this category.
Similar increases and a comparable ranking are seen for other household types, even when comparisons are made in purchasing power standards rather than euros.
Why do PASOK and EL.A.S. not mention these figures? Why do they ignore the fact that net pay in Greece has risen significantly since 2019? Why do they leave out the fact that Greece ranks ahead of ten EU countries in the comparison?
The answer is obvious. Rising pay does not fit the narrative of widespread failure they are trying to construct.
Of course, no one claims that wages and incomes in Greece have reached the levels we want. The gap with the European average remains, high prices continue to put pressure on households, and strengthening purchasing power remains an ongoing priority.
That is precisely why the government is continuing its policy of raising real wages, cutting taxes and boosting disposable income. It is also introducing emergency support measures whenever international crises put pressure on people’s everyday lives, making use of the scope created by fiscal stability.
Nevertheless, the overall picture of the Greek economy since 2019 shows a sharp fall in unemployment, rising employment, stronger real incomes and per capita consumption, a reduction in absolute poverty, an increase in household deposits and a fall in household debt relative to disposable income.
PASOK and EL.A.S. can continue looking for the figures that suit them. The government will continue to deliver results that benefit citizens.