Do you work in Norway? This is how much your wage will increase this year

Aslak Bodahl

foreignworkers@lomedia.no

From 1 April your monthly pay packet will increase.

Employees and employers represented by LO and NHO were the first to negotiate in this year’s round of pay bargaining. The increase they agreed on will impact about 1.8 million workers in Norway.

Better off

The outcome of the pay settlement was an increase of 4.4 per cent. This means that pay is expected to go up by 4.4 per cent this year.

The Government is forecasting that prices will rise by 2.8 per cent in Norway in 2025. In other words, wages will increase by more than prices.

Everyone who is party to a collective agreement with LO and NHO will receive five kroner more an hour. For the year as a whole that represents a pay rise of 9,750 kroner.

In addition, employees earning less than 545,963 kroner a year will receive an additional increment.

This low-pay bonus amounts to two kroner an hour, or in other words, an increase of 3,900 kroner a year.

In total these low-paid workers will receive 13,650 kroner more a year. In addition, there will be local rounds of pay bargaining.

Even more for low-paid workers

Some employees will receive a total of four kroner in low-pay increments. These are worker who are not able to negotiate pay at their workplaces.

These groups will receive a total increase of 17,550 kroner a year.

Cleaning personnel, for example, will receive nine kroner more an hour with effect from 1 April. This breaks down as follows:

• Five kroner more per hour

• An additional two kroner in low-wage supplement

• Two kroner in addition to the low-wage supplement, since they do not have local bargaining rights

Prior to the pay settlement a cleaner in a private cleaning company working full-time and with maximum seniority earned 229.99 kroner an hour or approximately 450,000 kroner a year.

Working 1950 hours a year these cleaners will receive an additional 17,550 kroner a year from 1 April onwards.

Building and construction

The pay of building workers increased by five kroner per hour effective from 1 April onwards.

The new minimum wage rates from 1 April 2025 onwards will accordingly be:

• Skilled workers: 255.30 kroner per hour (previously 250.30 kroner)

• Unskilled workers with no industry experience: 231.90 kroner per hour (previously 226.90 kroner)

• Unskilled workers with at least one year of industry experience: 240.80 kroner per hour (previously 235.80 kroner)

• Under the age of 18: 158.83 kroner per hour (previous rate 153.83 kroner)

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Shop and warehouse workers

Employees working in warehouses or shops will receive a total of seven kroner more an hour. Those with most experience will receive an additional 3.57 kroner an hour effective from 1 February.

Everyone is guaranteed at least five kroner more an hour, but shop and warehouse workers will receive a dedicated low pay supplement of two kroner an hour.

The most experienced retail trade employees can add an additional pay increase effective from 1 February. This is because the collective agreements contain a guarantee that ensures the pay does not drop below a predefined level.

The effect of this is that the pay of the most experienced workers in the retail trade will go up by 10.57 kroner an hour. This corresponds to roughly 20,600 kroner a year for a full-time employee.

Wage hike for hotel and restaurant workers

If you work in a restaurant or as a bartender, you are amongst the lowest paid workers in Norway.

This year’s pay round has secured an additional 7 kroner per hour for these two sectors.

Before this year’s pay round the situation was as follows:

• Waiters earned an average of 36,600 kroner a month before tax

• Bartenders earned an average of 37,080 kroner a month before tax

Hotel receptionists earned an average of 38,740 kroner a month before tax

Bartenders, hotel receptionists and waiters will now receive a total of 13,650 kroner more a year before tax.

1.8 million workers

The pay increase agreed by LO and NHO in March will also provide a template for the growth in pay of all other workers.

The other confederations are also negotiating pay increases in their individual areas. They generally follow the terms reached by LO and NHO.

This year’s pay round is what is referred to as an intermediate settlement. This means that it focuses on pay only and not the collective agreement as a whole.

Settlements of this nature are all about kroner and øre.

Translated by Robert Lovering 

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