As of 1st January, higher salaries for all public sector workers
All employees in the public sector will receive a 5.1 percent salary increase starting from 1 January 2026, announced the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.
This means that as early as February, monthly pay will increase on average between 4,000 and 15,000 dinars, depending on the job position and sector.
President Vučić emphasised that due to significant economic damage, amounting to billions, it was not possible to approve a higher increase than 5.1 percent, and reminded the public that salaries had already been raised twice, in March and October.
“Teachers will receive this increase. The IMF has approved up to a four percent rise from the start of the year. Pensions will go up by 12.2 percent from 1 December and will be paid around Christmas. The salary increase in the public sector will be 5.1 percent – a major announcement. Had we achieved a higher growth rate, it could have reached seven percent. The economic damage is severe – it’s hard to calculate, but we are certainly talking about billions of euros. With this, education workers, who had rises of 11 percent, plus five in March, plus five in October, and now 5.1, will cumulatively receive a 28.6 percent increase. In healthcare, it will be eight plus five plus 5.1, which totals a cumulative increase of 19.2 percent,” said Vučić.
Every increase is welcome
Employees in the Health Workers’ Union also agree that any salary increase is welcome. Zoran Savić, president of the Health Workers’ Union, stated that while every pay rise is appreciated, this one is relatively modest.
“Given the percentage increase in the minimum wage, this raise means there will be salary compression, and the number of employees receiving the minimum wage will rise. We submitted our demands to state institutions back in June. We did not ask for a specific percentage, but we requested that the increase not be lower than the percentage by which the minimum wage went up,” Savić explained.
To recall, the minimum wage in Serbia was exceptionally increased from 1 October this year by 9.4 percent, rising from 53,592 dinars (457 euros) to 500 euros, or 58,630 dinars. The next minimum wage increase of 10.1 percent will take effect from 1 January 2026, when the minimum wage in Serbia will amount to 371 dinars per working hour, equivalent to 550 euros.
Teachers finally reach the average salary level
The increase in the minimum wage also concerns education workers. Mirjana Gašić, from the Union of Education Workers, stated for Kurir that the rise in the minimum wage will push up the national average salary, which could lead to teachers’ salaries once again falling below the national average.
“At the beginning of this year, we signed a Special Collective Agreement with the Government, which defines our earnings and links them to the average earnings in the Republic of Serbia. The Special Collective Agreement stipulates that, from January 2026, our salaries will be adjusted twice a year in line with the average salaries in Serbia, and that during this year we have received a total of three increases – first by 11 percent and then twice by five percent on the coefficient. We will feel this latest increase already on Thursday when we receive the first part of our October salary.
This increase means that, at this moment, the starting salary for an employee in education with a Level 7 qualification, regardless of whether they work in a primary or secondary school, and regardless of whether their job is teaching-related, administrative, accounting, or if they are a school principal, without any salary supplements, class supervision duties, or years of service, will amount to 106,070 dinars. At this moment, the average salary in Serbia is 105,590 dinars, and practically, this is the first time we have reached the level of the national average salary,” Gašić told Kurir.
Increase in the minimum wage
Gašić emphasised that, regarding further salary increases, the raise is indeed significant and welcome, but added that it seems likely that from January – or more precisely February 2026, when the January salary is paid – salaries in education will once again fall below the national average.
“Firstly, this is because the increase is the same for everyone in public institutions, whether it concerns municipalities, social work centres, healthcare, the police… All public institutions will receive the same increase. On the other hand, we are seeing the announced rise in pensions and the enforcement of the minimum wage increase. This will automatically raise the average salary at the national level, and we have the impression that in January, we will again fall slightly below the average. However, rather than speculating about what will happen in two months, we will wait for the increase to take effect and then assess our situation accordingly,” Gašić stated.
Generals to receive a raise of more than 16,000 dinars
How much of a pay rise each public sector employee will receive primarily depends on their current salary. According to the Ministry of Defence, the salaries of professional military personnel currently range from 111,739 dinars for a corporal to 322,852 dinars for generals. For them, the 5.1 percent increase will mean an additional 5,698 dinars for corporals and 16,465 dinars for generals.
Employees in the state administration will, from January, have average salaries higher by 6,352 dinars, specialist doctors by 8,600 dinars, and nurses by 4,590 dinars.
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