Salaries on the Rise and Fall: How Workers’ Earnings Changed in CIS Countries
In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), wages are still unevenly distributed: workers in raw materials, finance, and high-tech industries earn much more than those in socially important fields like public services and agriculture. At the same time, in most CIS countries, both nominal and real wages increased in 2025. The General Confederation of Trade Unions analyzed salary trends both across the CIS as a whole and in specific economic sectors.
According to the General Confederation of Trade Unions, the lowest ratio of average sectoral wages to the national average is found in agriculture, forestry, and fishing: the minimum figures are recorded in Tajikistan (42%), Uzbekistan (53%), and Azerbaijan (63%). In education, the lowest wage index is registered in Armenia (55%), and in healthcare—Uzbekistan (62%) and Kyrgyzstan (63%). Even in countries where agricultural workers receive relatively high wages for their sector, payments still fall short of the national average. For example, in Belarus, the average wage in agriculture is only 86% of the national average.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the sectors with traditionally high wages. The highest wage index is recorded in Armenia’s financial and insurance sector (434%). In mining, Azerbaijan leads with wages at 358% of the national average. In the information and communication sector, Armenia (266%), Moldova, and Uzbekistan (both 232%) show the highest figures.
In 2025, wages across the CIS generally showed positive growth. According to the CIS Statistical Committee, the average growth in nominal income ranges from 6.1% in Armenia to 25.1% in Uzbekistan. Real wages, adjusted for inflation, have increased in most countries: from 2.2% in Moldova to 16.9% in Tajikistan. Kazakhstan is the exception with a 2% decrease was recorded.
The minimum wage saw the largest increase in 2025 in Tajikistan (25%). Significant rises were also recorded in Moldova and Uzbekistan (10%). Higher growth rates compared to previous years were noted in Belarus, Russia, and Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Armenia and Kazakhstan didn’t index the minimum wage.
GCTU News
-
Viktor Pinsky: GCTU Should Play a Leading Role in Organizing Trade Union Education in the CIS
Viktor Pinsky, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), believes that the GCTU should take a leading role in developing a system for training, retraining, and upgrading the skills of personnel, exchanging experiences, and educating leaders and trade union activists across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
"We already have successful experience in organizing trade union education. This year over 400 people from six countries participated in the GCTU’s first two educational programs. The idea to launch such programs came directly from the requests of our member organizations. Internships are another in-demand format, especially among young people. They provide an opportunity to personally visit international organizations and see their work from the inside," said Viktor Pinsky.
-
For trade unions, March 8 is not just a day of spring and renewal.
For trade unions, March 8 is not just a day of spring and renewal.
For trade unions, March 8 is not merely a day of spring and renewal. Above all, it is an opportunity to once again reflect on the role of women in the world of work and in global development as a whole. Today, women perform 55% of the world’s total labor. They work longer hours than men—by 6 to 13 hours per week—and still earn less: on average, women’s wages amount to 66–84% of men’s wages, depending on the country. There is objective evidence that the more a country values women’s labor and the smaller the gender pay gap, the more developed its economy. A special issue is the “invisibility” of women’s domestic and, as experts call it, reproductive labor. This is why trade unions should continue to fight for justice for working women.
I congratulate all women of the CIS, my colleagues in the parliamentary corps, and women in trade unions on International Women’s Day. I wish you justice, decent work, success, and prosperity!
Viktor Pinsky
General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, Member of the State Duma
-
General Confederation of Trade Unions Proposes Securing Trade Union Rights in Enterprise Bankruptcy
General Confederation of Trade Unions Proposes Securing Trade Union Rights in Enterprise Bankruptcy
The General Confederation of Trade Unions’ (GCTU) proposals are reflected in the draft CIS model law “On Cross-Border Insolvency and Bankruptcy.”
Trade unions must have the right to represent and protect workers’ interests in the bankruptcy of international companies, according to Viktor Pinsky, Member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and General Secretary of the GCTU.