Text: Mikko Nikula
The median salary of YTN union members in 2025 was EUR 5,180 per month. The salary amount increased by EUR 160, or 3.2 per cent, from the previous year. Purchasing power also increased, due to low inflation. The general increases in collective agreements were the most significant factor behind the salary increases.
The purchasing power of senior salaried employees increased for the second year in a row in 2025. In 2022 and 2023, salaries also increased, but were not sufficient to compensate for inflation. The information is based on YTN data, which is an annual summary of the labour market surveys conducted by the member unions of the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff.
“Of the respondents, a total of 81 per cent had received a salary increase, and 61 per cent reported having received a general increase,” explains researcher Tuunia Keränen.
Merit increases, i.e. salary increases based on personal performance, were received by 16 per cent of the respondents, compared to 18 per cent in the previous year.
“In recent years, the share of people receiving merit increases has been declining slightly but steadily,” says Keränen.
The average salary of all members of YTN member unions was EUR 5,659 per month. The starting salary, i.e. the median salary of people who have just entered working life, was EUR 3,595. The median salary for management and top management positions was EUR 8,200-9,600, for middle management EUR 6,000 and for experts EUR 4,900 per month.
In comparison between industries, the highest median salary was in the financial sector, EUR 6,268 per month. The lowest salary level was found in universities of applied sciences and the design industry, where the median salary was less than EUR 5,000.
Salary increases support consumption and increase confidence in the economy
According to Teemu Hankamäki, Chairperson of YTN, the YTN data for 2025 once again show the significance of the general increases that trade unions negotiate for employees on the basis of collective agreements.
“The system works exactly as it should. While inflation remained moderate at 0.3% last year, the purchasing power of senior salaried employees in employment relationships increased significantly, thanks to salary increases. After all, the nature of negotiated increases is that they guarantee something for everyone.”
In 2022, we experienced severe inflation, the root cause of which was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the turmoil in the global economy resulting from the war, which for consumers was reflected in an increase in energy and food prices in particular. When the previously agreed salary increases did not keep up with the rapidly rising prices, the purchasing power of employees decreased. The resulting “purchasing power gap” has finally been closed.
“This year, we will reach the level of purchasing power that we started with in 2022.”
In the best case scenario, Hankamäki considers salary increases to also benefit Finnish national economy, as the lack of consumer confidence has been one of the key reasons for the difficulties in the domestic market and poor employment development.
“The improvement in purchasing power makes employees more confident about their own finances, and they may then dare to spend more money. This can increase trust in the entire national economy. I think that is what everyone is now hoping for, perhaps even those who were against the increases.”
Members give unions negotiating power
There is a big gap in the general education of many Finns: They do not know how their own salary level is determined. Unfortunately, senior salaried employees can also be included in the group of people unaware of this.
“Some believe that annual salary increases are only given automatically and mysteriously from somewhere, in the form of some sort of index increases. After all, that is not the case. The increases are based on hard work and effort that the employee unions are doing,” Hankamäki says.
The functioning of the negotiation system is based on the unions having sufficient members and thus negotiating power. The situation could change if the degree of organisation of employees in Finland deteriorates significantly.
“In such a situation, employers may end up with the conclusion that it is not advisable to negotiate any agreements with trade unions. In other words, if you expect to receive an annual salary increase and appreciate it, you should be a member of a union,” Hankamäki suggests.
He points out that the union’s members also receive many other important services, such as advice concerning salaries, career development and legal matters.
A large majority supports openness about pay
In YTN data, respondents are asked, among other things, about their views about the situation in their workplace and the security of their own work. 62 per cent considered the outlook of their workplace to be stable in the near future, while 79 per cent trusted the stability of their own work. Four years ago, the corresponding figures were 85 and 90%.
“This was the fourth consecutive year in the survey data when trust in the employer’s situation and the permanence of one’s own work weakened,” says Tuunia Keränen.
There were significant differences between industries. The forest industry and ICT sector experienced the greatest threat of redundancies, while the likelihood of being laid off was estimated to be the greatest in the construction and design industry.
At least 73% of the respondents felt that their salary was somewhat encouraging. The highest grades for motivating pay were given by people working in top management. Slightly less than a half of the respondents had discussed their salary with their supervisor during the year.
According to YTN data, senior salaried employees have a very positive attitude towards openness about pay.
“I think this view was surprisingly strong. 74 per cent believed that they personally benefit from openness, while 66 per cent believed the employer will benefit as well. In addition, more than 80 per cent were willing to tell about their salary openly,” says Keränen.
The 2025 YTN data had slightly over 25,000 respondents. Approximately two-thirds of them worked as experts, one-fifth in middle management, 10% in management or top management and 5% as salaried employees. 61% of the respondents were men. 40% of the respondents worked in SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and 19% in organisations with more than 3,000 employees.
What is YTN data?
- YTN data reviews the salary development and working conditions of experts and supervisors annually.
- The data has been compiled on the basis of labour market surveys conducted by YTN’s member unions.
- The data was collected in late autumn 2025, with a total of 25,165 respondents.
- Learn more about YTN data (in Finnish)