A family with two children currently needs monthly incomes of over 10,000 lei to be able to talk about a decent living, says the Minister of Labor, Florin Manole. The official explained the increasing cost differences between Bucharest and the rest of the country.
The Minister stated, in an intervention on Antena3, that the Romanian state uses a distinct indicator called „the minimum income for a decent living,” different from „the minimum consumption basket.” According to Manole, the last evaluation of this indicator, carried out approximately four years ago by a foundation in collaboration with the authorities, indicated a sum of over 8,000 lei necessary for a family with two children.
"Based on this calculation, two average incomes, meaning over 5,000 lei each, would represent a decent income for a family with two children," explained the Minister. However, he specified that these figures no longer reflect the current reality, considering the accumulated inflation in recent years.
Aid for Pensioners
In the same intervention, the Minister of Labor also spoke about the support given to pensioners with low incomes. He announced that he is considering two options for this year's aid: either granting two installments of 400 lei each, as last year, or introducing "three income thresholds and three different amounts," so that pensioners with lower incomes receive more substantial support.
Separately, Manole mentioned the positive evolution of voluntary private pensions, stating that funds from Pillar 3 had the best performance in 2025 in the system's history, with a return of 19.6%, and net assets managed amounting to 7.4 billion lei.