Illustrative photo. Photo: Andras Kralla
The employer asks: how high should the salary be for an employee from Ukraine?
A citizen of Ukraine or a person who has been granted international protection in Ukraine and his/her family members who resided in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 and left Ukraine on or after 24 February 2022 and do not have a valid Estonian visa or residence permit for temporary protection have the legal right to stay and work in Estonia, even if other grounds for doing so have expired. This right also applies to citizens of Ukraine who were legally residing in Estonia before 24 February 2022.
The employer must ensure that the foreign national meets the conditions for obtaining the right of residence and work. The employer is obliged to pay remuneration for work, the amount of which is at least equal to the latest average annual gross wage in Estonia published by Statistics Estonia and multiplied by a coefficient of 0.8 in the field of activity in which the person commences work. The average gross wage is calculated based on the letter code of the EMTAK classifier of economic activities in Estonia.
If a person has temporary protection, they have the right to work in Estonia under the same conditions as Estonian citizens. If a person is employed full-time, they are entitled to a salary not lower than the minimum wage. As of 1 January 2024, the minimum hourly wage is 4.86 euros and the minimum monthly wage is 820 euros (gross).
If a foreigner works in Estonia on the basis of a short-term employment registration, he/she must be paid a salary in accordance with the Aliens Act. In such a case, the employer is obliged to pay the foreigner a salary in the amount of at least the average annual gross salary in Estonia. The average gross salary in Estonia is 1832 euros per month.
Source: www.dv.ee