The average net wage in May reached 49,544 denars, the State Statistical Office announced. On paper, the figure is rising - 8.2 percent more than a year ago and 1.6 percent more than the previous month. Even after deducting inflation, the real increase is 5.3 percent. It sounds good. But the average is a flattering figure that hides how differently the people under it live.

The differences between sectors are enormous. The highest earners are employees in information and communications - over 90,000 denars, almost double the average. At the bottom is hospitality, with a wage under 37,000 denars. So in the same country, in the same month, one person earns double another just because of the sector they work in. The „average wage” is a figure neither of them actually lives.

Growth across branches is also uneven. The biggest annual jump was recorded in water supply and waste management (11.9 percent), art, entertainment and recreation (11.3 percent), and transport and storage (10.9 percent). On a monthly basis, trade and vehicle repair, mining, and transport again grew the most.

And here's the context the figure by itself doesn't tell. While the average climbs to nearly 50,000 denars, the minimum wage stays at 26,046 denars - half the average. That means a huge share of employees earn far below that „average” number we brag about. The growth is real, but the question for the ordinary person isn't how much the average is - it's whether their wage even reaches them, and how long they'll run after prices that don't wait for statistics.