Wages increased by 4.2% in 2011
Published: 13 June 2012
In March 2012, the Technical Committee for Wage Settlements (TBU) presented its preliminary report on wage settlements for 2012, as detailed in a press release on wage settlements from the Norwegian Ministry of Labour [1]. The report is traditionally presented before annual wage settlements are agreed, and provides estimates on wage growth rates in different collective agreement areas, among other things. The Technical Committee consists of representatives from social partner organisations, the national government and Statistics Norway. The statistical basis for the wage growth figures is the wage survey [2] carried out by Statistics Norway (SSB [3]).[1] http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ad/press-centre/press-releases/2012/norwegian-wage-settlements-in-2012-.html?id=673089[2] http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/06/05/lonnansatt_en/[3] http://www.ssb.no/
A preliminary report on wage settlements for 2012 shows Norwegian wage earners saw their wages rise by 4.2% in 2011. The wage growth rate was at its highest in the financial services sector and at its lowest among employees in the private services sector. Growth in real wages was estimated to be 3.1%. The wage gap between men and women was unchanged from 2010 to 2011, with women earning on average 87.2% as much as men. This gap has narrowed by the smallest of margins since 2002.
Background
In March 2012, the Technical Committee for Wage Settlements (TBU) presented its preliminary report on wage settlements for 2012, as detailed in a press release on wage settlements from the Norwegian Ministry of Labour. The report is traditionally presented before annual wage settlements are agreed, and provides estimates on wage growth rates in different collective agreement areas, among other things. The Technical Committee consists of representatives from social partner organisations, the national government and Statistics Norway. The statistical basis for the wage growth figures is the wage survey carried out by Statistics Norway (SSB).
Wage developments in 2011
The average wage of all Norwegian wage earners is estimated to have increased by 4.2% from 2010 to 2011. This compares to a growth rate of 3.7% in 2010. The average wage earner saw an increase in real wages of 2.9% from 2010 to 2011. For employees in the major bargaining areas, wage growth was estimated to be 4.3% during the same period.
Wage growth among blue-collar workers in manufacturing companies affiliated to the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) was estimated to be 4.4%, and the equivalent figure for salaried employees was around 4.7% (Table 1). Among public sector employees, wage growth in 2010 was 4.2% in the central government sector and 4.3% in the municipal sector.
The group experiencing the highest wage growth in 2011 were those in the financial services sector who saw wage growth of 4.9%. Lowest growth in 2011 was among employees in the wholesale and retail trade, transport and the hotels and restaurants sector.
| Sector | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| All wage earners | 3.7 | 4.2 |
| NHO companies in the manufacturing industry – blue-collar workers | 3.6 | 4.4 |
| NHO companies in the manufacturing industry – salaried employees | 4.3 | 4.7 |
| NHO companies in building and construction – blue-collar workers | 3.4 | 4.2 |
| NHO companies in the transport sector – blue-collar workers | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Hotels and restaurants (NHO companies) | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| Retail and wholesale trade (Virke companies) | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Financial services sector | 5.9 | 4.9 |
| State sector | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Municipalities and counties | 3.7 | 4.3 |
| State-owned health enterprises (‘hospital sector’) | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Source: NOU 2012: 11 Grunnlaget for inntektsoppgjørene 2012
Gender pay gap
The average wage of women working full time remained unchanged from 2010 to 2011 (Table 2). In the course of the period 2002–2011 the gender pay gap has narrowed slightly. In 2011, women’s average wage was 87.2% of men’s average wage, just one percentage point higher than in 2002. The wage gap is slightly wider when part-time employees (calculated as full-time equivalents) are included.
SSB also presents wage gap figures calculated on the basis of median pay, which shows a smaller pay gap. In 2011, women’s median pay was 92.9% of men’s median pay. The reason for this smaller gap is that there are more men than women among the highest paid workers, while there are significantly smaller differences between women and men in the lowest paid groups.
| 2002 | 2010 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s average wage, full-time employees | 86.2 | 87.2 | 87.2 |
| Women’s median wage, full-time employees | 90.3 | 92.9 | 92.9 |
| Women’s average wage, part-time and full-time employees, calculated as full-time equivalents | 83.9 | 85 | 85.9 |
Source: NOU 2012: 11 Grunnlaget for inntektsoppgjørene 2012
Pay differences between men and women in public hospitals, the central government sector and the manufacturing industry narrowed from 2010 to 2011, while the gap widened in the wholesale and retail trade.
Kristine Nergaard, Fafo
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Eurofound (2012), Wages increased by 4.2% in 2011, article.
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