Hungary’s gross average wages increased by 8.7% year-on-year to HUF 764,100 in May 2026, slowing slightly from a 9.0% rise in April. This was the weakest pace of growth since December 2025. The deceleration was driven mainly by the public sector, where wage growth eased to 9.4% from 10.7% in the previous month, and by the private sector, where earnings growth edged down to 8.5% from 8.7%. In contrast, wage growth in the non-profit sector accelerated, rising to 8.9% from 7.6%.
Excluding one-off payments and bonuses, gross earnings rose 9.1% year-on-year to HUF 718,200 in May. Over the first five months of 2026, average gross wages were up 12.4% compared with the same period a year earlier, reaching HUF 776,400.
