Wage, salary increase by 2.6% in March Y-on-Y

The working day adjusted wages and salaries sum of the whole economy was 2.6 per cent higher in March 2026 than in March 2025, according to Statistics Finland.

The wages and salaries sum was 2.4 per cent higher in the private sector in March than twelve months earlier.

The wages and salaries sum in the public sector was 3.1 per cent higher than a year earlier in the corresponding period.

In the private sector, the seasonally adjusted wages and salaries sum increased by 0.3 per cent and in the public sector by 0.4 per cent in March from the month before.

The wages and salaries sum grew in March 2026 in majority of main industries but decreased in the industries of private education, finance and insurance and private health and social work compared to March 2025.

The working day adjusted wages and salaries sum increased significantly in the industry of manufacturing (5.4%).

The growth was moderate in the industries of other services (1.9%), trade (1.8%) and construction (1.6%).

At the same period the working day adjusted wages and salaries sum decreased in the industries of private education (1.4%), finance and insurance (1.3%) and private health and social work (0.3%).