– Purchasing power, purchasing power, purchasing power – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

Last year, Norwegians had a real wage decrease of 0.4 per cent, according to the Technical Calculation Committee (TBU). Wage growth ended at 5.3 per cent. The committee publishes two reports a year, and with its figures makes it possible for the parties in working life and the authorities in Norway to have an understanding of the Norwegian economy that matches when they are to negotiate the wage settlement during the spring. Norwegians have not had real wage growth since 2015, the figures showed last year. Today there are new figures from the TBU, or technical calculation committee, about the wage development. The most important figures are the wage development last year and the assumed price increase in 2024. The figure for increased prices will show what it will take for people to have increased purchasing power this year. Photo: Magnus Thorén / news – Purchasing power, purchasing power, purchasing power Trade union representative and bookstore employee Oddbjørn Snekkerbakken expects more purchasing power in the coming year. – I would say purchasing power, purchasing power, purchasing power. We expect a strong boost this year, says Oddbjørn Snekkerbakken, who works in a bookshop at Ark in Oslo. – How has your salary development been lately? – We have had several years without real wage growth. We who work in shops have received worse advice, I think we should have our share of the cake, I feel that the money in society is unevenly distributed, he says. His annual salary is around NOK 450,000, which is common for store employees. People in the retail trade received a bonus during the 2021 pandemic. – It helped then and there and was welcome for many, but after that the prices have exploded, the prices have eaten up the wage supplements, says Snekkerbakken. Snekkerbakken says the rise in prices has eaten up the wage supplement employees in the retail trade received during the pandemic. Photo: Magnus Thorén / news Housing is difficult Snekkerbakken is also a trustee in Ark. He believes that it is difficult to manage at the current salary level, especially in the big cities. – But you don’t get this salary on the housing market, for example in Oslo. – Overall, I think the industry is doing well and that there is room to give more. The settlement will be challenging for both parties, but there is still room to give good wage increases, says Snekkerbakken.



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