Survey: regional pay gaps widening

Slovakia's richest and poorest regions continue to draw apart in salaries, according to an analysis by the website platy.sk. Six out of ten people in the eastern Slovak region of Prešov fell into one of the lower salary ranges of up to €800 per month. In contrast, the same is true for only two out of ten people in the Bratislava region. Meanwhile, annual growth in year-end bonuses and the so-called 13th salaries - measured at 10 percent in 2016 - outpaced the rise in salaries as a whole. A total of 26 percent of employees received end-of-year bonuses, which came to an average of €695, or around 75 percent of the basic salary. Seventeen percent of employees also saw so-called 13th salaries, which were worth €743 on average, or 80 percent of the basic salary. A mere 30 percent of employees indicated that they receive no non-financial benefits. The range of corporate outings and teambuilding events has soared in particular. While in 2010 only 6 percent of employees said that such activities were organised by their employer, six years later the proportion was 28 percent.