Earnings in municipalities and county authorities, 2003

To be able to calculate earnings for all employees, earnings for a part-time employee are recalculated to the earnings a full-time employee would receive. This makes it possible to compare the earnings of all employees, full-time employees and part-time employees.

About 80 per cent of all employees in municipalities are females. Females had average monthly earnings of NOK 22 700, an increase of NOK 600 or 2.9 per cent. In comparison, male employees had monthly earnings of NOK 24 800, a growth of NOK 600 or 2.6 per cent from November 2002.

Full-time employees

Average monthly earnings for all full-time employees were NOK 23 900. This constitutes an increase of NOK 700 or 2.9 per cent from November 2002. Female full-time employees had earnings of NOK 23 200 while the equivalent for male employees was NOK 25 000. This was a growth of NOK 700 or 3.0 per cent and NOK 600 or 2.6 per cent, respectively.

Educational groups

About one half of all full-time municipal and county municipal employees have no education beyond upper secondary level. Here average monthly earnings were NOK 21 900, an increase of NOK 500 or 2.3 per cent from November 2002.

Full-time employees with tertial education up to 4 years had monthly earnings of NOK 26 000, an increase of NOK 800 or 3.0 per cent from 2002. Relatively few full-time employees have a tertial education of more than 4 years. This group had, however, earnings of NOK 31 200, an increase of NOK 800 or 2.6 per cent.

About the statistical basis

The statistics cover 284 368 employees in municipals and county municipals per 1 October 2003, excluding employees paid by the hour. The statistics are based on data from the Staff Administration Information System (PAI) of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities. Employees in hospitals, power production, power supply and teaching personnel in schools are not included in the statistical basis.

The wage settlement in the municipal sector 2003 provided no extra increases in excess of increases concerning 2003 settled the previous year. This concerned local negotiations per 1 January and increased minimum wage for some groups of employees after at least 10 years of service per 1 July.

For Oslo, no increases concerning 2003 were settled in 2002. Instead, the following increases from 1 May 2003 were settled in 2003:

- The minimum wage was increased by more than NOK 20 000 on a yearly basis

- General increase for all scales of pay, ranging from NOK 3 000 to NOK 6 600 on a yearly basis.

Tables:

• Table 1 Employees in municipalities and county municipalities. Average monthly earnings per full-time eqvivalent per 1 October. 2002 and 2003. NOK and percentage change. Preliminary figures
• Table 2 Full-time employees in municipalities and county municipalities. Average monthly earnings, by educational level per 1 October 2003. NOK