One Raise Away: Salary Discontent Rising Across Central and Eastern Europe, Says Alma Career Survey

Only one in four workers are satisfied with their salary, and more than three in four are thinking about leaving their jobs, reveals a new international survey from Alma Career. A sweeping salary satisfaction survey from Alma Career, conducted across nine countries in Central and Eastern Europe, has revealed a concerning trend: just 27% of employees feel adequately paid, while a staggering 77% say they’re open to switching jobs within the next six months.

The Paylab survey, which collected responses from nearly 15,000 participants in countries including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Czechia, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, paints a complex picture of salary satisfaction across demographics, regions, and age groups.

The survey highlights varying levels of salary satisfaction among participants, with only 27% expressing satisfaction, while 33% reported dissatisfaction and 40% remained neutral. Women are less satisfied with their current salary – 24% of women are satisfied compared to 30% of men.   

When it comes to age – people under 45 years of age tend to be more satisfied (close to 30% fully satisfied or satisfied), while only around 23% of people over 45 years are satisfied with their current salary. Survey shows that dissatisfaction with salary increases with age, which is surprising given that senior positions typically offer higher pay. As for the countries – among the countries surveyed, the most satisfied with their salaries are people in Czechia and Estonia (close to 32%), while in Croatia, Latvia, and Lithuania the satisfaction reached only about 22%.

The survey found that more than half of the respondents (56%) feel undervalued in terms of their remuneration, which is an increase of 3% since 2023 when a similar survey was conducted by Alma Career. In contrast, now only 21% of participants stated that they believed their current salaries to be reasonable – which is a 5% decrease compared to the 2023 survey results.  

When participants were asked about the salary range that would satisfy them, 40% expressed that an 11-20% increase in their current salary would be sufficient to meet their expectations. However, another 27% desired a raise in the range of 20-50%, while 17% indicated that a 6-10% increase would be satisfactory. Only 2% of participants expressed the desire to double their existing salary.  

The survey data also highlighted a correlation between lower salaries and higher expectations for pay raises. When talking about significant increases, participants with lower incomes tended to anticipate larger salary increases to achieve satisfaction with their remuneration.   

When we compare regions and countries – 3 out of 4 respondents in Czechia, Slovakia, Estonia, and Slovenia wish for an increase in salary of up to 20% - while in other countries surveyed half of the people wish for more than a 20% increase in their salary. These attitudes could be influenced by the current level of salaries compared to purchasing parity. 

Considering the potential impact of dissatisfaction with pay on employee turnover, the survey asked participants if they planned to find a new, better-paid job within the next six months. The results showed, that 77% of respondents may consider a job change, suggesting a desire for improved compensation. 

The survey was conducted during February and March 2025 in nine Alma Career countries: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia through Paylab, an international salary survey platform that collects information on the incomes and bonuses of employees in various positions.  

This press information covers only a part of the Alma Career Survey outcomes. The Key Findings document that covers all important data from the Alma Career survey is available for free to all media contacts – please, contact us, if you are interested.