The monthly average wage of employees in the municipality of Chisinau is by MDL 531 higher compared with the country’s average. The monthly average wage in Chisinau constituted MDL 2311.5 in January, increasing by 26% against the similar period last year. The state-paid employees received wages of MDL 1788.7, by 27% more compared with the same period of 2006. Interim head of the General Municipal Division for Economy Aurelia Porumbescu told the City Hall session on Monday that the most persons employed in Chisinau work in the processing industry, education, trade and transport. In January, the number of employees in Chisinau constituted MDL 348 thousand persons. 62.2 thousand or 24.8% of the persons receiving wages were employed in the state-funded institutions. In January 2007, the average wage of a worker in the national economy (enterprises with 20 staffers and more) constituted MDL 1780 and increased by 25% compared with the similar period of the last year (the real salary increased by 11%). In the state-paid institutions, the monthly average wage amounted to MDL 1402, in the private sector – MDL 2003.