According to the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat), the index for hourly contractual wages remained unchanged from August but rose by 2.5% compared to September 2025. This year-on-year increase represents a continuation of the trend observed over the first nine months of the year, where average hourly wages grew by the same 2.5% margin relative to the same period in 2025.
The institute highlighted that for the second consecutive quarter, the growth rate of contractual wages has fallen short of inflation figures. In the private sector specifically, wage growth was recorded at 2.3%, which Istat noted is approximately two percentage points lower than the Consumer Price Index (Ipca) for September. This divergence between wage dynamics and inflation in the private sector has been evident since April 2026.
A breakdown by sector shows varying performance across the economy. The public administration (P.A.) saw a higher increase of 3.2%, while agriculture recorded a 3.3% rise. Within the broader private sector, industry wages grew by 2.6% and private services by 2.1%. Specific sectors with the highest year-on-year increases included education at 5.5%, telecommunications at 5.1%, and environmental hygiene at 5.0%. The energy and oil sector also posted a significant gain of 4.3%.
Conversely, several sectors reported no wage growth whatsoever. These include private pharmacies, central government functions, law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, and firefighters. Other areas showed more modest gains, with trade limited to a 1.9% increase and public establishments recording a 2.1% rise. The data underscores a persistent gap between earnings growth and price increases in key segments of the Italian economy.
Sources: ANSA Economia.