Living Standards Measurements Study - Serbia 2002 - 2007

Examined by quintile, the average salary for
the first quintile is 13 495 dinars, while the average
salary for the fifth quintile is 31 728 dinars,
therefore the 20 percent of the wealthiest people
earned 2.4 times more than the 20 percent of the
poorest.
gender
education
type of
settlement
region
Graph 9.8. Salary from main job,
LSMS 2007 (dinar)
men
women
primary
secondary
tertiary
urban
other
Belgrade
Vojvodina
Western
Serbia
Sumadija
Eastern
Serbia
South-
Eastern
Serbia
12869
20764
20098
16854
25032
20758
19985
19129
17592
22773
18365
29398
34846
Average income based on LSMS 2007 is 19
percent lower than the average income obtained
from a regular statistics study on employees’
salaries, which in May 2007, without taxes and
contributions, equaled 26 981 dinars. The
difference can be due to:
1) the official data on average incomes that are
collected from companies or institutions are
based on data from accounting records and refer
only to officially employed persons. The income
data from LSMS is based on respondent’s
reports and refers to both formal and informal
employment – including income from occasional
or one-time jobs (even only one hour a week)
which decreases the overall average.
2) LSMS income data is probably lower than the
official data because respondents are unwilling
to give information on income and salaries.
Amounts may be under reported, perhaps to
receive assistance from the state or because of
fears of the tax authorities
9.15. Current education
Education has a significant impact on the
social and economic position of the individual. A
higher education level, professional training and the
development of skills have a significant influence
on the position of employees and increases the
chances of finding employment for the unemployed.
Encouraging people to keep learning new skills
during their entire length of service and even after
retirement age is one the goals of developed
countries. The LSMS shows however, that only
12.4 percent of the adult population attend some
kind of education or training. The largest number of
adults attends secondary or higher education within
the formal education system (10 percent). The
majority of employed people have undergone some
kind of training at work. The majority of the
unemployed attend tertiary education (university or
college).
Whether women place higher importance
on education or are more interested in education and
professional training for other reasons, is a topic for
other research. However, LSMS data indicate that
among the employed group the percentage of
women involved in some form of education is
higher than men. If the current education status of
the unemployed, analysed by gender it can be seen
that equal percentages of men and women attend
education, both within the formal education system
and within relevant institutions. For the inactive the
percentage of men attending some form of
education (mostly within the formal education
system) is significantly higher than that of women.
Employment status
129