Bank of Estonia analyst Kaspar Oja said both the data and methodology used by the bank differ slightly from those of Statistics Estonia, but the discrepancy this time is notably large. "We have been bouncing ideas around with Statistics Estonia since this morning," Oja said.

"I'm not sure we have exactly the same data as Statistics Estonia. The data comes in as microdata initially, and the outcome depends on what filters you apply," he said.

The analyst added that Statistics Estonia also uses a slightly different methodology.

"They also take work intensity into account, but I don't think that changes over time so much that it could explain such a large difference. Now we need to figure out where this discrepancy comes from," Oja said.

According to Statistics Estonia, the average gross monthly wage in the second quarter was €2,284, which is 13.8 percent higher than at the same time in 2024.

This sharp increase came as a surprise to analysts, as in the first quarter, the average gross monthly wage in Estonia was €2,011, with an annual growth rate of 6.1 percent.

At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Statistics Estonia announced that, due to numerous skeptical inquiries regarding the exceptionally large increase in the average wage, analyst Sigrid Saagpakk would review the data again on Wednesday.

Statistics Estonia also postponed the wage data briefing, which had been scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

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