Statement – Salaries in Public Healthcare

Dear media representatives,

Perceptions are being created in the public that the authorities oppose the increase of the minimum wage. However, the example of healthcare clearly shows that the health authorities are not only not an obstacle, but actively support the increase of salaries in public healthcare.

The lowest basic salary in public healthcare in 2025 amounts to 27.158 denars net and, compared with 2023, records a nominal increase of 22,2%, while the real increase amounts to 13,4%. This means that the growth of this salary is that much higher than inflation in the same period. The lowest salary in public healthcare is 11,4% higher than the minimum wage in the country.

The basic net salary for nurses with secondary vocational education (SVE), in accordance with the branch collective agreement, in 2025 amounts to 31.934 denars. Compared with 2023, the nominal increase amounts to 24,5%, while the real increase is 15,6%.

The average net salary in healthcare, according to data from the State Statistical Office, in 2025 amounts to 50.327 denars. Compared with 2023, the nominal increase amounts to 15,8%, while the real increase is 7,5%. In 2025, this salary is around 9,5% higher than the average net salary in the country’s overall economy.

These data clearly indicate that salaries in healthcare are growing not only nominally, but also in real terms.

With the agreement reached with the representative trade unions, an additional increase in salaries in public healthcare of at least 5% is planned for March 2026, in accordance with the 2025 agreement which provides for salary growth of 5 to 7 percent.

There is a clear and continuous commitment to the appropriate valuation of the work of healthcare workers.

Attached is a statement by the Director of the Health Insurance Fund, Mr Sasho Klekovski, in response to a journalist’s question.