Minimum wage 2027: everyone agrees it will rise, but employers and unions are €163 apart

After the minister's meeting with unions and employers on October 14, only one thing is settled: the minimum wage will go up. Employers want €1,086.75 gross, unions €1,250. The government decides by October 31. Today's minimum is €1,050 gross.

Published 2026-10-15 · Source checked 2026-10-14

On Wednesday, October 14, Labour Minister Alen Ružić held the yearly consultations on the minimum wage for 2027 with unions and employers, the ministry said. Many Nepali workers in Croatia are paid at or close to the minimum, so this is the number that decides your payslip from January. The one point of agreement: all partners say the minimum wage must rise. Employers want a more moderate increase, unions a bigger one.

The gap is concrete. The Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) proposes €1,086.75 gross a month, 3.5 percent more than today's €1,050. The unions' confederation SSSH asks for €1,250 gross, about 19 percent more. Novi list put the distance between the two at €163. The unions also say they want €1,500 within two years.

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Employers attach a condition. They want the government to raise the personal tax allowance from €600 to about €840, so that a worker on the minimum pays no income tax. HUP says that at €1,050 gross the taxable base after pension contributions is about €840, and a single worker pays almost €60 income tax a month. The unions support a higher allowance, but not a small rise in the minimum itself.

Be careful with the allowance: it is only an idea. N1 reports that the government is considering it as part of the 2027 budget, and a tax change needs changes to the tax rules. So a higher take-home pay is not guaranteed even if the gross minimum goes up.

Who decides? The government, by decree, no later than October 31, after a discussion in its narrow cabinet. Minister Ružić said he would give his opinion to the prime minister after the consultations and that the government's programme aims for €1,250 by 2028, but he did not name a 2027 figure. Until the decree is published, any number you see is a proposal.

What to do: do not plan your 2027 budget around €1,086.75 or €1,250 yet. Check back after the decree, which is due before October 31. If you are paid the minimum, ask your employer or accountant in January which gross and net amount applies to you, and compare it with your payslip.

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