In February net average wages rose 9.1% y/y to HUF 105,325 while real wage growth during the month amounted to 6.4% y/y when calculating with February inflation of 2.5%, the KSH said. In the first two months of the year gross average wages were up 7.2% to HUF 176,376, while net wages grew 8.3% to HUF 114,759, according to the KSH. Net real wages in January–February were 5.6% higher than in the same period last year. Those employed in the public sector earned better than their private sector counterparts in February, making on average HUF 112,017 in net terms, against HUF 102,705 in the private sector. Growth in gross average public sector wages was 5.8% y/y to an average of HUF 171,741 per month in February, KSH said. Growth was higher in the private sector, as average gross wages rose 8.5% in February, reaching HUF 157,250. In February there were 2.754 million employed in the national economy, down 0.7% on the year, while in January-February 2.751 million were employed, down 0.8% on the year. Private-sector employment decreased 0.3% to 1.911 million in February as employment in a slimming public sector fell with 2.1% to 783,400.