Moldova pledges up to 25% teacher pay hike amid wage reform
Moldovan educators will receive base salary increases of 11% to 15% starting January 1, 2027, with top-performing staff eligible for total raises of up to 25%. The announcement was made on August 26 by Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun during the program Eu și Uniunea Europeană on public broadcaster Moldova 1.
The adjustment covers total remuneration across all qualification tiers, statutory allowances, and existing merit-based bonuses.
Public sector wage reform
The government postponed the initial September 1 pay adjustment to draft a comprehensive, cross-sectoral public salary framework. The forthcoming legislation aims to overhaul the entire civil service grading system rather than apply isolated adjustments.
Perciun noted that previous compensation reform adopted in 2018 required repeated parliamentary amendments due to structural design flaws. The ministry plans to finalize a coherent, standardized wage hierarchy in 2026 to ensure long-term fiscal predictability.
Interim bridge compensation
Pending the enactment of the comprehensive law, the Ministry of Education and Research will provide transitional monthly stipends starting with September salaries, payable in October.
Full-time teaching staff will receive a net monthly bonus of €51 (approx. 1,000 MDL), while educators working a 1.5 workload quota will receive €77.
The transitional compensation package was finalized through collective bargaining with education trade unions to maintain income stability ahead of the 2027 statutory increases.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
