During the third quarter of 2010 (the latest data available), the average nominal wage was Lari609.5 (US$340) per month, an increase of around 7% year on year, according to figures from the National Statistics Office. At 9.1% year on year, growth in average wages for women outpaced the 6% growth recorded for men's salaries. In the third quarter salaries grew particularly sharply year on year in mining and manufacturing-by 13.6% and 13%, respectively. However, both of these rates were slower than the 24.1% and 17% expansions recorded for mining and manufacturing, respectively, in the second quarter, which probably reflected the feed-through effects of the demand for Georgian metals abroad (December 2010, The domestic economy).

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Since then, the increase in nominal wages is likely to have been outpaced by a sharper rise in inflation. According to data from the National Statistics Office, year-on-year inflation rose by 12.3% in January 2011, compared with 9.8% in October and 3.6% in June. The rise in consumer prices in January 2011 was the greatest increase since August 2006. The increase in year-on-year inflation has primarily been fuelled by higher food and oil prices. In January 2011 prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages grew by 25.2% year on year, compared with 1% in June 2010.