Q3 of 2018: Average salary in Georgia reaches 1,125.5 GEL

The average monthly salary in Georgia has increased by 56.4 GEL year-on-year and reached 1,125.5 GEL in the third quarter of 2018, show the latest data published by the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

The highest monthly earnings were observed in the following fields:

• Financial and insurance activities – 2,354.3 GEL (annual growth 26.5%)
• Professional, scientific and technical activities – 1,867.9 GEL (+8.6%)
• Information and communication – 1,785 GEL (+18%)

The figures show that men earned almost 510 GEL more than women each month in Q3 of 2018. Female workers earned an average salary of 851.9 GEL per month, while male workers earned 1,360.5 GEL, said Geostat.

Q3 of 2018: Unemployment rate up 0.1%

The annual unemployment rate in Georgia increased by 0.1 percentage points and equalled 12.2% in Q3 of 2018, showed Geostat published last month.

The share of self-employed people was 48.8% in the total employment data, said Geostat.

The unemployment rate was higher in men (by 1.7 percentage points) than in women. The unemployment rate in women increased by 0.9 percentage points and in men reduced by 0.7 percentage points.

What is the minimum cost of living in Georgia?

The minimum subsistence level for a working age male in November 2018 was 174.3 GEL, shows another Geostat data set.

The minimum subsistence level is calculated based on the minimum cost of items in the consumer basket, defined by Georgian law since 2004. The indicator does not include monthly mortgage or rent costs or utility bills.

For the average consumer, the minimum subsistence level was 154.4 GEL in November, while an average family needed at least 292.5 GEL to survive.