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40 percent of minimum wages in some EU countries for rent
Low-wage earners in many EU countries, including Spain, spend at least 40 percent of their income on rent. Photo: Clara Margais / dpa
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People with low incomes in Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria or Hungary, for example, have to spend at least 40 percent of their salary on rent. The European Trade Union Confederation criticizes this.
According to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), minimum wage earners in eleven EU countries have to spend an average of at least 40 percent of their income on rent.
In Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Hungary and Bulgaria, full-time employees with a minimum wage only stay half or less of their wages for food, heating and other costs after deduction of rent, the ETUC said on Monday with reference to data from 2019.
In another five countries, the rent made up between 41 percent and 48 percent of wages during the period. With 30 percent, Germany is in the lower third of the EU countries with statutory minimum wages.
According to ETUC information, the values are based on calculations by the European Trade Union Institute. The basis is figures from 2019, which were obtained from an EU survey on income and living conditions. The statutory minimum wage is compared with the average monthly rent for apartments with a maximum of two bedrooms.