Average pension covers slightly more than half of cost of living

The average monthly subsistence level in Moldova in the first quarter of 2009 constituted 1,338.4 lei, Info-Prim Neo learned from the National Statistics Bureau. The average value of a monthly pension – 647.2 lei (as calculated on April 1) – covers slightly more than a half (56.9 percent) of the cost of living calculated for this category of population (1,137.1 lei). The monthly subsistence level calculated for the employable population is 1,410.2 lei (1,496.9 lei for men), while for children is 1,258.5 lei, with a differentiation based on the age category: 501.4 lei for children under one year of age, and 1,384.1 lei for children in the age category 7-16 years. The average monthly salary of a Moldovan employee was 2,569.1 lei in the first quarter, meaning a 182.2 percent coverage of the cost of living indicator for the employable population. The highest average-wage-to-subsistence-level ratio in the employable population category was registered by the financial sector employees – 3.7 times, while the lowest by the agriculture and forestry sector employees – 87.4 percent. The subsistence level represents the sum necessary for the food and non-food products in a month (services, utility bills, clothing, footwear, medical assistance).