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Structure of earnings: documentation of statistics
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Basic data of the statistics
Data description
Structural statistics on wages and salaries describe the hourly and monthly earnings of wage and salary earners working in Finland and their formation and distribution. The concepts of earnings in the statistics are earnings for total working hours and earnings for regular working hours. Earnings are gross earnings, which means that taxes and social insurance contributions have not been reduced from them.
In the statistics, monthly earnings are calculated for full-time wage and salary earners, hourly earnings for both full-time and part-time wage and salary earners.
In the statistics, earnings can be examined either on the basis of characteristics related to wage and salary earners or enterprises.
In the statistics, monthly earnings are calculated for full-time wage and salary earners, hourly earnings for both full-time and part-time wage and salary earners.
In the statistics, earnings can be examined either on the basis of characteristics related to wage and salary earners or enterprises.
Statistical population
Wage and salary earners working in industries A to S according to the Standard Industrial Classification TOL2008 (in industries A to T according to the Standard Industrial Classification TOL2025).
Statistical unit
The statistical units of the structure of earnings statistics are wage and salary earner and employment relationship. The structure of earnings statistics are based on data reported by employers. Statistical data are published on the employment relationship level. The published monthly earnings data concern full-time wage and salary earners and the published data on hourly earnings concern employment relationships even though as customary, the term wage and salary earner is used for them in the statistics. This means that in the data on hourly earnings one person can comprise several wage and salary earners if that person has several employment relationships. For instance, when a full-time wage and salary earner has changed the employment relationship during the month, both employment relationships converted to correspond to a full month are counted in the statistics.
Unit of measure
Earnings are expressed in EUR per month or in EUR per paid hour. ‘Hour paid’ means all hours for which earnings have been paid, whether or not the employee was actually working at that time. For example, if the employer has paid wages for a period of sick leave, the period of sick leave is counted in hours paid.
Base period
The structure of earnings statistics are published as separate statistics each year. The statistics for each year only describe the statistical year in question, and comparability with previous years cannot be fully guaranteed.
Reference period
October of the statistical year. The statistics are based on earnings data for October. Background information on the employment relationship has been collected from other periods or imputed by statistical methods if the information is not available for October.
Reference area
The reference area of the structure of earnings statistics is the whole of Finland. The available regional classifications are: Municipalities and Regions.
Sector coverage
The structure of earnings statistics describe wage and salary earners in industries (TOL2008) A to S in non-financial corporations, financial and insurance corporations, general government and non-profit institutions serving households. The industries of households as employers and extraterritorial organisations according to the employer’s main industry are excluded from the structure of earnings statistics.
The statistics describe all wage and salary earners regardless of the form or duration of the employment relationship. Employment relationships, in which earnings for the statistical reference period are below the limit for employment pension insurance contributions, are excluded from the statistics. Those having received only commission income are also excluded from the statistics.
The statistics describe all wage and salary earners regardless of the form or duration of the employment relationship. Employment relationships, in which earnings for the statistical reference period are below the limit for employment pension insurance contributions, are excluded from the statistics. Those having received only commission income are also excluded from the statistics.
Time coverage
The statistics have been published yearly since 1995.
Frequency of dissemination
The data of the structure of earnings statistics are published annually on Statistics Finland’s website.
Concepts
Bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period
Bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period are such as performance-based bonuses, holiday bonus and holiday supplement and seniority increments paid in some hourly paid fields. Payment of one-off pay components can also be based on collectively bargained agreements.
Structural statistics on wages and salaries:
Holiday supplement paid for days off not taken is not included in these bonuscomponents in the structural statistics on wages and salaries.
Index of wage and salary earnings:
The index of wage and salary earnings measures the development of earnings from regular working hours regardless of the mode of payment. Components paid on the basis of performance are included in the earnings concept so that they are divided evenly over the whole calendar year. Similarly, bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period based on collective agreements are evenly divided for the whole year. All these components belonging to the concept of index of wage and salary earnings, such as holiday bonuses are not included in data on wages and salaries used in the calculation of the index, but they are taken into consideration in index calculation only in case changes in their relative share are agreed in collective bargaining. In the index of wage and salary earnings contractual pay increases paid retrospectively are also taken to the quarter when they were earned.
Labour cost survey:
In the concepts of the labour cost survey compensations for termination of an employment relationship belonging to bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period are included in social costs.
Labour cost index:
In the labour cost index bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period also include contractual pay increases paid retrospectively from previous pay periods. The labour cost index also contains incentive stock options according to their exercise value.
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Bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period are not published in the statistics on private sector and local government wages and salaries. These components are not included in the index of regular earnings.
Structural statistics on wages and salaries:
Holiday supplement paid for days off not taken is not included in these bonuscomponents in the structural statistics on wages and salaries.
Index of wage and salary earnings:
The index of wage and salary earnings measures the development of earnings from regular working hours regardless of the mode of payment. Components paid on the basis of performance are included in the earnings concept so that they are divided evenly over the whole calendar year. Similarly, bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period based on collective agreements are evenly divided for the whole year. All these components belonging to the concept of index of wage and salary earnings, such as holiday bonuses are not included in data on wages and salaries used in the calculation of the index, but they are taken into consideration in index calculation only in case changes in their relative share are agreed in collective bargaining. In the index of wage and salary earnings contractual pay increases paid retrospectively are also taken to the quarter when they were earned.
Labour cost survey:
In the concepts of the labour cost survey compensations for termination of an employment relationship belonging to bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period are included in social costs.
Labour cost index:
In the labour cost index bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period also include contractual pay increases paid retrospectively from previous pay periods. The labour cost index also contains incentive stock options according to their exercise value.
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Bonuses and allowances not paid in each pay period are not published in the statistics on private sector and local government wages and salaries. These components are not included in the index of regular earnings.
Collective agreement sector
Collective agreement sector is determined in the collective labour agreement applied in the employment relationship concerned. In the municipal sector the collective agreement sectors are specified in the main contract between the Commission for Local Authority Employers and employee organisations. A collective labour agreement is an agreement between an employee organisation and an employer or an employer organisation on the sector-specific terms of employment. Among others, the pay, working hours, vacations and other benefits that apply within the scope of the agreement are agreed on in the collective agreement. The agreements are often sector specific, but are also bound by the occupational status of the wage or salary earner concerned and are concluded for a fixed period.
Employee
A wage and salary earner (employee) is a person, who has an employment relationship with an employer and who is compensated for work performed. Wage and salary earners are either salaried employees or workers of the employer.
In statistics on wages and salaries, wage and salary earners are as a rule not divided into salaried employees and workers. A division can, however, be made according to profession or pay system. In statistics on wages and salaries, entrepreneurs paying their own salaries are not classified as wage and salary earners, as their earnings usually differ too much from the earnings of other similar wage and salary earners. In these statistics a single wage and salary earner may have several employment relationships that are, however, all treated as separate instances of wage and salary earner in the statistics.
Self-employed persons who pay even part of their earnings as salary to themselves are recorded as wage and salary earners in the labour cost statistics.
In statistics on wages and salaries, wage and salary earners are as a rule not divided into salaried employees and workers. A division can, however, be made according to profession or pay system. In statistics on wages and salaries, entrepreneurs paying their own salaries are not classified as wage and salary earners, as their earnings usually differ too much from the earnings of other similar wage and salary earners. In these statistics a single wage and salary earner may have several employment relationships that are, however, all treated as separate instances of wage and salary earner in the statistics.
Self-employed persons who pay even part of their earnings as salary to themselves are recorded as wage and salary earners in the labour cost statistics.
Employer sector
Employer sector describes the structure of the labour market and is determined by the decision-making unit. The classification of employer sectors used in statistics on wages and salaries and in statistics on labour costs is a national adaptation of the Classification of Sectors that is used in economic and social statistics (Classification of Sectors 2000).
The classification used in statistics on wages and salaries has the following structure:
Local government sector
Operating units of municipalities and joint municipal boards, and municipal enterprises
Central government sector
Agencies and institution financed from the State budget
Private sector
Private enterprises, enterprises with central or local government majority holding and state enterprises. Non-profit corporations, parishes, and organisations and foundations are also included in the private sector in statistics on wages and salaries.
The structure of the classification of sectors used in statistics on labour costs and in the labour cost index is similar to that of the classification used in statistics on wages and salaries.
In the index of wage and salary earnings, non-profit corporations, parishes and organisations form a separate employer sector of their own (Others).
The classification used in statistics on wages and salaries has the following structure:
Local government sector
Operating units of municipalities and joint municipal boards, and municipal enterprises
Central government sector
Agencies and institution financed from the State budget
Private sector
Private enterprises, enterprises with central or local government majority holding and state enterprises. Non-profit corporations, parishes, and organisations and foundations are also included in the private sector in statistics on wages and salaries.
The structure of the classification of sectors used in statistics on labour costs and in the labour cost index is similar to that of the classification used in statistics on wages and salaries.
In the index of wage and salary earnings, non-profit corporations, parishes and organisations form a separate employer sector of their own (Others).
Full-time
Structural statistics on wages and salaries:
In structural statistics on wages and salaries, the division into full-time and part-time employment is based on regular weekly working hours. In these statistics, employment relationships with regular weekly working hours exceeding 90 per cent of the general working time in the industry are defined as full-time. It has not been possible to define employment as full-time or part-time for wage earners whose regular working hours are not known. This may be due to non-reporting or irregular working hours of the person in question. For public sector teachers, full-time and part-time employment has been defined on the basis of the conditions of the employment relationship. In the structural statistics on wages and salaries, private sector teachers whose weekly teaching duty is at least 16 hours are defined as working full-time.
Statistics on private sector wages and salaries:
For private sector monthly wage earners, the definition of full-time employment is based on weekly working hours, as in the structural statistics of wages and salaries. In these statistics, wage and salary earners whose regular weekly working hours exceed 90 per cent of the general working time in the industry are defined as working full-time.
Information on other wage and salary earners' full-time employment is obtained through inquiries or defined according to the employment relationship. If a wage and salary earner's regular weekly working hours are not known, also information on earnings is used to define full-time employment.
The distinction between full-time and part-time employment is not made separately for private sector hourly wage earners.
Statistics on public sector wages and salaries:
For wage and salary earners in the public sector, full-time and part-time employment is defined on the basis of the character and conditions of the employment relationship. Information on full-time and part-time employment is usually obtained through inquiries.
Labour cost survey:
In statistics on labour cost, an employee whose working hours are specified in the collective agreement for government employees or the collective agreement, or the regular working time of the unit in question, is defined as working full-time.
Cf. Part-time
In structural statistics on wages and salaries, the division into full-time and part-time employment is based on regular weekly working hours. In these statistics, employment relationships with regular weekly working hours exceeding 90 per cent of the general working time in the industry are defined as full-time. It has not been possible to define employment as full-time or part-time for wage earners whose regular working hours are not known. This may be due to non-reporting or irregular working hours of the person in question. For public sector teachers, full-time and part-time employment has been defined on the basis of the conditions of the employment relationship. In the structural statistics on wages and salaries, private sector teachers whose weekly teaching duty is at least 16 hours are defined as working full-time.
Statistics on private sector wages and salaries:
For private sector monthly wage earners, the definition of full-time employment is based on weekly working hours, as in the structural statistics of wages and salaries. In these statistics, wage and salary earners whose regular weekly working hours exceed 90 per cent of the general working time in the industry are defined as working full-time.
Information on other wage and salary earners' full-time employment is obtained through inquiries or defined according to the employment relationship. If a wage and salary earner's regular weekly working hours are not known, also information on earnings is used to define full-time employment.
The distinction between full-time and part-time employment is not made separately for private sector hourly wage earners.
Statistics on public sector wages and salaries:
For wage and salary earners in the public sector, full-time and part-time employment is defined on the basis of the character and conditions of the employment relationship. Information on full-time and part-time employment is usually obtained through inquiries.
Labour cost survey:
In statistics on labour cost, an employee whose working hours are specified in the collective agreement for government employees or the collective agreement, or the regular working time of the unit in question, is defined as working full-time.
Cf. Part-time
Hourly wage earner
The earnings of an hourly wage earner are mainly based on the hours actually worked. In addition, an hourly wage earner may have earnings for working time not worked. Compensation for hours worked and hours not worked can be paid several times a month. An hourly wage earner is usually a worker. The pay system is determined by the collective labour agreement.
Hours paid
Hours paid refer to those hours of total working time for which wage and salary earners are paid. Hours paid can be hours worked or not worked, or absences (annual leaves, sick leaves, public holidays, other time off).
Hours worked
Statistics on wages and salaries:
In statistics on wages and salaries, statistics on earnings in the industries which pay hourly wages are compiled for hours actually worked. Hours actually worked refers to the working time an employee has spent on his/her actual duties. Hours actually worked include time and piece rate work and contract work hours as well as Sunday and overtime hours. Working hours are based on the Working Hours Act.
Labour cost survey:
Hours actually worked refer to the working time an employee has spent on his/her actual duties. They also include Sunday and overtime work. Hours actually worked include time spent in training, but not unpaid overtime. In labour cost statistics, hours actually worked can be defined also as paid hours minus paid leave.
In statistics on wages and salaries, statistics on earnings in the industries which pay hourly wages are compiled for hours actually worked. Hours actually worked refers to the working time an employee has spent on his/her actual duties. Hours actually worked include time and piece rate work and contract work hours as well as Sunday and overtime hours. Working hours are based on the Working Hours Act.
Labour cost survey:
Hours actually worked refer to the working time an employee has spent on his/her actual duties. They also include Sunday and overtime work. Hours actually worked include time spent in training, but not unpaid overtime. In labour cost statistics, hours actually worked can be defined also as paid hours minus paid leave.
Monthly wage earner
Monthly wage earners are remunerated for work performed on a monthly basis. Earnings are usually based on one month's working time and tend to stay the same from month to month. Monthly wage earners are normally salaried employees. The pay system is determined in the collective agreement.
Occupation
In statistics on wages and salaries, descriptions of occupations of wage or salary earners are based on field-specific titles of occupations, posts and tasks, and on the Classification of Occupations of Statistics Finland (Classification of Occupations 2001). The approximate number of the used field-specific occupational titles is 15,000.
In respect of the private sector the occupational titles used in statistics on wages and salaries derive from the nomenclature of occupations and tasks of the fields covered by the collective labour agreements of the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK, the nomenclature of tasks of Kirkon työmarkkinalaitos (labour market organisation of the Church) and the nomenclature of occupations of Näyttämöväen Vanhuudenturvasäätiö (foundation for pension security of stage and screen employees). The titles of occupations and tasks in the local government sector are based on the Local Government Pensions Institution's classification of occupations. The titles of occupations and tasks in the central government sector comply with the titles of occupations or tasks of letters of appointment or collective labour agreements.
The occupations in statistics on wages and salaries are classified basing on these nomenclatures of occupational titles by taking into consideration the employer sector, educational qualification and industry of the wage and salary earner. Field-specific titles of occupations or tasks are not published in statistics on wage and salary structures, where only the classification of occupations is used in describing occupations.
In respect of the private sector the occupational titles used in statistics on wages and salaries derive from the nomenclature of occupations and tasks of the fields covered by the collective labour agreements of the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK, the nomenclature of tasks of Kirkon työmarkkinalaitos (labour market organisation of the Church) and the nomenclature of occupations of Näyttämöväen Vanhuudenturvasäätiö (foundation for pension security of stage and screen employees). The titles of occupations and tasks in the local government sector are based on the Local Government Pensions Institution's classification of occupations. The titles of occupations and tasks in the central government sector comply with the titles of occupations or tasks of letters of appointment or collective labour agreements.
The occupations in statistics on wages and salaries are classified basing on these nomenclatures of occupational titles by taking into consideration the employer sector, educational qualification and industry of the wage and salary earner. Field-specific titles of occupations or tasks are not published in statistics on wage and salary structures, where only the classification of occupations is used in describing occupations.
Part-time
Structural statistics on wages and salaries:
In structural statistics on wages and salaries, the division into full-time and part-time employment is based on regular weekly working hours. In these statistics, employment relationships with regular weekly working hours that are more than 10 per cent shorter than the general working time in the industry are defined as part-time. It has not been possible to define employment as full-time or part-time for wage and salary earners whose regular weekly working hours are not known. This may be due to either non-reporting or irregular working hours of the person in question. For public sector teachers, full-time and part-time employment has been defined on the basis of the conditions of the employment relationship. In the structural statistics on wages and salaries, private sector teachers whose weekly teaching duty is less than 16 hours are defined as working part-time.
Statistics on private sector wages and salaries:
For private sector monthly wage and salary earners, the definition of part-time employment is generally based on weekly working hours, as in the structural statistics of wages and salaries. In these statistics, wage and salary earners whose regular weekly working hours are over 10 per cent shorter than the general working time in the industry are defined as working part-time.
Information on other wage and salary earners' part-time employment is obtained through inquiries or defined according to the employment relationship. If a wage and salary earner's regular weekly working hours are not known, also information on earnings is used to define part-time employment.
The division between full-time and part-time employment is not made separately for private sector hourly wage earners.
Statistics on public sector wages and salaries:
For public sector wage and salary earners, full-time and part-time employment is defined on the basis of the character and conditions of the employment relationship. Information on full-time and part-time employment is usually obtained through inquiries.
Labour cost survey:
In statistics on labour cost, an employee whose working hours are shorter than the working hours specified in the collective agreement for government employees or the collective agreement, or the general working time of the unit in question, is defined as working part-time.
Cf. Full-time
In structural statistics on wages and salaries, the division into full-time and part-time employment is based on regular weekly working hours. In these statistics, employment relationships with regular weekly working hours that are more than 10 per cent shorter than the general working time in the industry are defined as part-time. It has not been possible to define employment as full-time or part-time for wage and salary earners whose regular weekly working hours are not known. This may be due to either non-reporting or irregular working hours of the person in question. For public sector teachers, full-time and part-time employment has been defined on the basis of the conditions of the employment relationship. In the structural statistics on wages and salaries, private sector teachers whose weekly teaching duty is less than 16 hours are defined as working part-time.
Statistics on private sector wages and salaries:
For private sector monthly wage and salary earners, the definition of part-time employment is generally based on weekly working hours, as in the structural statistics of wages and salaries. In these statistics, wage and salary earners whose regular weekly working hours are over 10 per cent shorter than the general working time in the industry are defined as working part-time.
Information on other wage and salary earners' part-time employment is obtained through inquiries or defined according to the employment relationship. If a wage and salary earner's regular weekly working hours are not known, also information on earnings is used to define part-time employment.
The division between full-time and part-time employment is not made separately for private sector hourly wage earners.
Statistics on public sector wages and salaries:
For public sector wage and salary earners, full-time and part-time employment is defined on the basis of the character and conditions of the employment relationship. Information on full-time and part-time employment is usually obtained through inquiries.
Labour cost survey:
In statistics on labour cost, an employee whose working hours are shorter than the working hours specified in the collective agreement for government employees or the collective agreement, or the general working time of the unit in question, is defined as working part-time.
Cf. Full-time
Regular wages
Regular wages for each pay period include
- basic pay
- supplements based on duties, professional skill, years of service etc.
- supplements based on location and conditions of workplace
- premium pay
- performance-based pay components for salaried employees, workers' performance-based earnings
- taxation value for fringe benefits
- (in structural statistics on wages and salaries also pay for working hours not worked).
Regular wages do not include one-off items, such as holiday and performance bonuses. The concept of regular wages including performance-based bonuses is, however, also used in statistics on wages and salaries.
Regular wages are used in all statistics on wages and salaries, but the content may vary according to the statistics. In statistics on hourly wages, for example, regular wages include wages for time and piece rate work and contract work for the regular working time as well as the basic component of Sunday and overtime pay, but not the premia.
Cf. Total earnings
- basic pay
- supplements based on duties, professional skill, years of service etc.
- supplements based on location and conditions of workplace
- premium pay
- performance-based pay components for salaried employees, workers' performance-based earnings
- taxation value for fringe benefits
- (in structural statistics on wages and salaries also pay for working hours not worked).
Regular wages do not include one-off items, such as holiday and performance bonuses. The concept of regular wages including performance-based bonuses is, however, also used in statistics on wages and salaries.
Regular wages are used in all statistics on wages and salaries, but the content may vary according to the statistics. In statistics on hourly wages, for example, regular wages include wages for time and piece rate work and contract work for the regular working time as well as the basic component of Sunday and overtime pay, but not the premia.
Cf. Total earnings
Total earnings
Total earnings describe the wages paid for regular working hours and other working hours, such as overtime or extra work. Cf. Total working hours.
Total earnings for each pay period include
- basic pay
- supplements based on duties, professional skill, years of service etc.
- supplements based on location and conditions of workplace
- premium pay
- performance-based pay components for salaried employees, wage earners' performance-based earnings
- taxation value for fringe benefits
- earnings for extra and overtime work
- in part also eventual compensation for on-call or urgent work
- other irregularly paid supplements
- (in structural statistics on wages and salaries also pay for working hours not worked).
Total earnings do not include one-off items, such as holiday and performance-based bonuses.
In statistics on wages and salaries, the concept of total earnings including performance bonuses is also used.
The concept of total earnings is used in all statistics on wages and salaries, but its content may vary according to the statistics. In statistics on private sector hourly wages and salaries, for example, total earnings include earnings from regular working hours as well as Sunday and overtime pay premia.
Cf. Regular wages
Total earnings for each pay period include
- basic pay
- supplements based on duties, professional skill, years of service etc.
- supplements based on location and conditions of workplace
- premium pay
- performance-based pay components for salaried employees, wage earners' performance-based earnings
- taxation value for fringe benefits
- earnings for extra and overtime work
- in part also eventual compensation for on-call or urgent work
- other irregularly paid supplements
- (in structural statistics on wages and salaries also pay for working hours not worked).
Total earnings do not include one-off items, such as holiday and performance-based bonuses.
In statistics on wages and salaries, the concept of total earnings including performance bonuses is also used.
The concept of total earnings is used in all statistics on wages and salaries, but its content may vary according to the statistics. In statistics on private sector hourly wages and salaries, for example, total earnings include earnings from regular working hours as well as Sunday and overtime pay premia.
Cf. Regular wages
Total working hours
In structural statistics on wages and salaries, total working hours are calculated on the basis of personal regular weekly working hours and the average paid hours of extra and overtime work. On-call hours are not included in the total working hours. Total working hours describe the monthly working hours that form the basis for the payment of wages.
Total working hours cannot be defined in structural statistics on wages and salaries, if an employee's regular weekly working hours are not known.
Total earnings are based on total working hours. Cf. Total earnings
Cf. Regular weekly working hours
Total working hours cannot be defined in structural statistics on wages and salaries, if an employee's regular weekly working hours are not known.
Total earnings are based on total working hours. Cf. Total earnings
Cf. Regular weekly working hours
Type of contractual employment relationship
Type of contractual employment relationship describes the legal relationship between an employee and employer. In statistics on wages and salaries contractual employment relationships are referred to as either permanent /valid indefinitely or fixed-term. A contractual employment relationship may also concern specific employee categories such as trainees, trainees on apprenticeship contracts, persons with disabilities and those employed with employment promotion subsidies.
The data is usually directly obtained from inquiries for statistics on wages and salaries. In statistics on the structure of earnings, data on persons employed with employment promotion subsidies are supplemented by data obtained from the register of job seekers of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Employment relationship is the corresponding concept referred to in the statistics on wages and salaries in the municipal sector and the corresponding statistics of the government.
Cf. atypical employment in the Labour Force Survey (fixed-term and/or part-time).
The data is usually directly obtained from inquiries for statistics on wages and salaries. In statistics on the structure of earnings, data on persons employed with employment promotion subsidies are supplemented by data obtained from the register of job seekers of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Employment relationship is the corresponding concept referred to in the statistics on wages and salaries in the municipal sector and the corresponding statistics of the government.
Cf. atypical employment in the Labour Force Survey (fixed-term and/or part-time).
Type of employment relationship
Type of employment relationship describes the legal relationship between an employee and employer. In statistics on wages and salaries employment relationships are referred to as either permanent /valid indefinitely or fixed-term. An employment relationship may also concern specific employee categories such as trainees, trainees on apprenticeship contracts, persons with disabilities or those employed with employment promotion subsidies.
The data is usually directly obtained from inquiries for statistics on wages and salaries. In statistics on the structure of earnings, data on persons employed with employment promotion subsidies are supplemented by data obtained from the register of job seekers of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Contractual employment relationship is the corresponding concept referred to in the statistics on wages and salaries in the private sector.
Cf. atypical employment in the Labour Force Survey (fixed-term and/or part-time).
The data is usually directly obtained from inquiries for statistics on wages and salaries. In statistics on the structure of earnings, data on persons employed with employment promotion subsidies are supplemented by data obtained from the register of job seekers of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Contractual employment relationship is the corresponding concept referred to in the statistics on wages and salaries in the private sector.
Cf. atypical employment in the Labour Force Survey (fixed-term and/or part-time).
Usual weekly working hours
Information on wage and salary earners' regular weekly working hours is usually collected in connection with wage inquiries. Regular weekly working hours are based on the Working Hours Act and are often in line with a specific working time system or working time mode. Sometimes regular weekly working hours can be agreed on separately and they may differ from the general working time of the industry. In the case of teachers, regular weekly working hours equal the number of hours on which weekly pay is based.
In the private sector, regular weekly working hours must average out to 40 hours per week within a reference period defined in the collective agreement. For public sector wage and salary earners with office working hours, average weekly working hours are 36.25 hours a week, and for those with general working hours 38.25 hours a week.
In structural statistics on wages and salaries, the regular 40-hour week of workers in industries which pay hourly wages has been shortened with industry-specific solutions, according to the so called "pekkassopimus". The basic consideration has been to secure the earlier income level. The shortening of working time with separate days off has been taken into account in determining regular weekly working hours in such a way that the regular weekly working hours for workers with a 40-hour week are 37.89 hours. The shortening of the working time of municipal hourly wage earners has been executed by shortening regular weekly working hours, not by adding paid or unpaid days off.
Regular wages are based on regular weekly working hours. Cf. Regular wages
Cf. Total working hours
In the private sector, regular weekly working hours must average out to 40 hours per week within a reference period defined in the collective agreement. For public sector wage and salary earners with office working hours, average weekly working hours are 36.25 hours a week, and for those with general working hours 38.25 hours a week.
In structural statistics on wages and salaries, the regular 40-hour week of workers in industries which pay hourly wages has been shortened with industry-specific solutions, according to the so called "pekkassopimus". The basic consideration has been to secure the earlier income level. The shortening of working time with separate days off has been taken into account in determining regular weekly working hours in such a way that the regular weekly working hours for workers with a 40-hour week are 37.89 hours. The shortening of the working time of municipal hourly wage earners has been executed by shortening regular weekly working hours, not by adding paid or unpaid days off.
Regular wages are based on regular weekly working hours. Cf. Regular wages
Cf. Total working hours
Classifications
Accuracy, reliability and timeliness
Overall accuracy
The Incomes Register is used as the source data for the structure of earnings statistics. Its data are supplemented with other data. The statistics are based on data reported by employers on employment relationship and earnings data of wage and salary earners. The statistics are dependent on the quality of their source data. Source data are verified and validated, and they are generally reliable. As a rule, the Incomes Register contains all observations of wages and salaries for the statistical reference period, but the register contains plenty of data to be reported voluntarily by the employer, for which reason data on individual variables are missing from the register.
Especially in cases where earnings related to a small group of wage and salary earners are examined, the data of the structure of earnings statistics are uncertain, because for example, extensive background information on employment relationships is available for only part of wage and salary earners. On a general level, the source data of the public sector are more comprehensive than those of the private sector and the data of the largest employers are usually more exhaustive than those of smaller enterprises. There is quite a lot of missing data in the source data of some industries, such as agriculture and fishing, construction, administration and support service activities, and arts, entertainment and recreation.
A majority of the data has been reported to the Incomes Register broken down by income type, enabling the formulation of the earnings concepts used in the structure of earnings statistics. However, the wage and salary data for a small group of observations are based on earnings total reported in the Incomes Register when the data do not have income type breakdowns, that is, for these observations, earnings may also include one-off or other pay items that do not belong to the earnings concepts of the structure of earnings statistics. The amount of unspecified income data is particularly high in certain individual industries, such as construction. However, because the earnings data concern October, the share of various one-off items, such as holiday bonuses or performance-based bonuses, in earnings is small.
Especially in cases where earnings related to a small group of wage and salary earners are examined, the data of the structure of earnings statistics are uncertain, because for example, extensive background information on employment relationships is available for only part of wage and salary earners. On a general level, the source data of the public sector are more comprehensive than those of the private sector and the data of the largest employers are usually more exhaustive than those of smaller enterprises. There is quite a lot of missing data in the source data of some industries, such as agriculture and fishing, construction, administration and support service activities, and arts, entertainment and recreation.
A majority of the data has been reported to the Incomes Register broken down by income type, enabling the formulation of the earnings concepts used in the structure of earnings statistics. However, the wage and salary data for a small group of observations are based on earnings total reported in the Incomes Register when the data do not have income type breakdowns, that is, for these observations, earnings may also include one-off or other pay items that do not belong to the earnings concepts of the structure of earnings statistics. The amount of unspecified income data is particularly high in certain individual industries, such as construction. However, because the earnings data concern October, the share of various one-off items, such as holiday bonuses or performance-based bonuses, in earnings is small.
Timeliness
The wage and salary earners and wages and salaries for the statistics are drawn from the Incomes Register from the reports for October. Deviating or incomplete wage and salary observations may be corrected based on typical monthly earnings during the year. The earnings items concerning the whole year are summed from the Incomes Register reports for the statistical reference year. In addition, voluntary data missing from the Incomes Register are supplemented with additional data that have been collected during September to December depending on the data. Preliminary data on the structure of earnings statistics are completed around 11 months after the end of the statistical reference year and final data are released around 18 months after the end of the statistical reference year. The long delay is due to all data not being available before this.
Punctuality
There may be individual delays in releasing the structure of earnings statistics, for example due to delays of source data.
Completeness
The structure of earnings statistics consist of approximately 2.4 million items of data on employment relationships and wages and salaries. The statistics cover wage and salary earners working in Finland well. The lowest earnings data with employment relationship data below the employment pension contribution limit are excluded from the statistics.
Comparability
Comparability - geographical
In principle, the data in the structure of earnings statistics are comparable between Finland’s regions and municipalities. However, it should be noted that especially the background information about employment relationships has deficiencies in the source data and there may be inaccuracies caused by this between different areas. For example, missing or erroneous workplace establishment data may cause errors in the location of the employment relationship.
Comparability - over time
The structure of earnings statistics are produced annually, but the statistics should not be examined from the perspective of time series. In other words, it is not recommended to calculate annual changes from the statistics. The data content of the statistics changes annually as Finland’s occupational and industrial structures change, and thus the aggregate level figures of the statistics describe the change on the level of the whole country, not on the level of wage and salary earners. In addition, due to deficiencies in the data sources, data on occupations on the most detailed level in particular are not comparable between years. When examining the development of earnings of wage and salary earners, the index of wage and salary earnings is a better source than the structure of earnings statistics.
Structure of earnings statistics have been produced from 1995 to 2023 without major methodological changes. The clearest methodological update between these years was made to the structure of earnings statistics in 2001. As a result, the data for 1995 to 2000 are comparable only in long-term examinations. From the statistical reference year 2001 to 2023, structure of earnings statistics form another uniform time series. Starting from 2024, the source data and methods of the statistics were revised. At the same time, the population of the statistics was extended to cover small enterprises with under five wage and salary earners. Instead of sample data, the dataset changed into total data containing employment and earnings data on all employment relationships reported to the Incomes Register at the time of compiling the statistics.
In the 2006 structure of earnings statistics hourly earnings were calculated for the first time for teachers in the local government sector. In addition, earnings data were formed for the first time for wage and salary earners having received reduced wages and salaries in the local government sector. Thus, the data concerning 2006 and subsequent data are not fully comparable with earlier years in the local government sector.
The structure of earnings statistics for 2014 used data obtained from the Tax Administration's Palkka.fi service as additional data for the first time. These mainly contain data on small enterprises with fewer than ten employees and in this respect supplement the data content of the structure of earnings statistics. In 2014, data on around 26,000 wage and salary earners were obtained from the Palkka.fi data, which scaled to the level of the population, corresponded to around 60,000 wage and salary earners. The addition of the Palkka.fi data on average had a decreasing effect on average earnings. The average earnings of all full-time wage and salary earners fell by around EUR 15, the variations were bigger in individual occupational groups.
The formation rules of monthly earnings of hourly paid wage and salary earners were specified in the structure of earnings statistics of 2015. Therefore, earnings data are not comparable for several occupational groups in “8 Plant and machine operators, and assemblers” and “9 Elementary occupations” from 2015 onwards.
An adjustment to the calculation of hourly earnings for hourly paid wage and salary earners was made to the structure of earnings statistics for 2018, see changes in these statistics. The change affected the earnings of around 210,000 private sector hourly-paid employees, decreasing them by 3.9 per cent. Three-quarters of these wage and salary earners worked in manufacturing and construction. Due to this change, data on hourly earnings are not comparable with previous years.
In the structure of earnings statistics for 2020, data concerning private sector managers that combine occupational data of the employment statistics and data on wages and salaries in the Incomes Register were used for the first time as additional material. Thus, the statistics were supplemented with data on private sector senior management previously missing from the statistics. This improved the comparability of managers’ pay data between different sectors. However, the occupation-specific data on private sector senior management are not comparable with previous years. In 2020 to 2023, the data on private sector managers were based on occupational data of the year preceding the statistical reference year.
Changes in the classifications used in the statistics cause problems with the comparability of the data. For example, the Classification of Occupations has been updated in 2001 and 2010. The update of Classification of Occupations for 2001 was smaller than the classification update for 2010, although it also caused discontinuity in the Classification of Occupations on its most detailed level. The update of the Classification of Occupations 2010 was comprehensive. The Classification of Occupations “AML 2010” has been used starting from the structure of earnings statistics for 2010. Data by occupational category are comparable in 1995 to 2009 and from 2010 onwards only on the less detailed level of the Classification of Occupations, and not completely on this level either.
Structure of earnings statistics have been produced from 1995 to 2023 without major methodological changes. The clearest methodological update between these years was made to the structure of earnings statistics in 2001. As a result, the data for 1995 to 2000 are comparable only in long-term examinations. From the statistical reference year 2001 to 2023, structure of earnings statistics form another uniform time series. Starting from 2024, the source data and methods of the statistics were revised. At the same time, the population of the statistics was extended to cover small enterprises with under five wage and salary earners. Instead of sample data, the dataset changed into total data containing employment and earnings data on all employment relationships reported to the Incomes Register at the time of compiling the statistics.
In the 2006 structure of earnings statistics hourly earnings were calculated for the first time for teachers in the local government sector. In addition, earnings data were formed for the first time for wage and salary earners having received reduced wages and salaries in the local government sector. Thus, the data concerning 2006 and subsequent data are not fully comparable with earlier years in the local government sector.
The structure of earnings statistics for 2014 used data obtained from the Tax Administration's Palkka.fi service as additional data for the first time. These mainly contain data on small enterprises with fewer than ten employees and in this respect supplement the data content of the structure of earnings statistics. In 2014, data on around 26,000 wage and salary earners were obtained from the Palkka.fi data, which scaled to the level of the population, corresponded to around 60,000 wage and salary earners. The addition of the Palkka.fi data on average had a decreasing effect on average earnings. The average earnings of all full-time wage and salary earners fell by around EUR 15, the variations were bigger in individual occupational groups.
The formation rules of monthly earnings of hourly paid wage and salary earners were specified in the structure of earnings statistics of 2015. Therefore, earnings data are not comparable for several occupational groups in “8 Plant and machine operators, and assemblers” and “9 Elementary occupations” from 2015 onwards.
An adjustment to the calculation of hourly earnings for hourly paid wage and salary earners was made to the structure of earnings statistics for 2018, see changes in these statistics. The change affected the earnings of around 210,000 private sector hourly-paid employees, decreasing them by 3.9 per cent. Three-quarters of these wage and salary earners worked in manufacturing and construction. Due to this change, data on hourly earnings are not comparable with previous years.
In the structure of earnings statistics for 2020, data concerning private sector managers that combine occupational data of the employment statistics and data on wages and salaries in the Incomes Register were used for the first time as additional material. Thus, the statistics were supplemented with data on private sector senior management previously missing from the statistics. This improved the comparability of managers’ pay data between different sectors. However, the occupation-specific data on private sector senior management are not comparable with previous years. In 2020 to 2023, the data on private sector managers were based on occupational data of the year preceding the statistical reference year.
Changes in the classifications used in the statistics cause problems with the comparability of the data. For example, the Classification of Occupations has been updated in 2001 and 2010. The update of Classification of Occupations for 2001 was smaller than the classification update for 2010, although it also caused discontinuity in the Classification of Occupations on its most detailed level. The update of the Classification of Occupations 2010 was comprehensive. The Classification of Occupations “AML 2010” has been used starting from the structure of earnings statistics for 2010. Data by occupational category are comparable in 1995 to 2009 and from 2010 onwards only on the less detailed level of the Classification of Occupations, and not completely on this level either.
Coherence - cross domain
From the perspective of earnings, the main sources of comparison data for the structure of earnings statistics are the annual earnings statistics published by the Tax Administration and the earnings statistics published by the Finnish Centre for Pensions (ETK). The data of the structure of earnings statistics differ from those statistics due to different wage and salary earner groups and earnings concepts.
The Tax Administration data include all wage and salary earners who have received taxable earnings, and the ETK data include all wage and salary earners who have received earnings subject to pension contributions. The structure of earnings statistics report earnings per month or per hour, i.e. considering what a wage and salary earner earns or should earn at the pay level in question. The statistics of the Tax Administration and ETK include all earnings, such as earnings for one day with the same weight in their statistics.
As regards the data on the numbers of wage and salary earners, a comparison can be made with the Labour Force Survey and employment statistics. There are differences in the numbers of wage and salary earners between the Labour Force Survey and the employment statistics and the structure of earnings statistics due to the timing of the statistics compilation and statistical populations. The Labour Force Survey and the employment statistics are better sources than the structure of earnings when examining the numbers of wage and salary earners or employed persons.
The Tax Administration data include all wage and salary earners who have received taxable earnings, and the ETK data include all wage and salary earners who have received earnings subject to pension contributions. The structure of earnings statistics report earnings per month or per hour, i.e. considering what a wage and salary earner earns or should earn at the pay level in question. The statistics of the Tax Administration and ETK include all earnings, such as earnings for one day with the same weight in their statistics.
As regards the data on the numbers of wage and salary earners, a comparison can be made with the Labour Force Survey and employment statistics. There are differences in the numbers of wage and salary earners between the Labour Force Survey and the employment statistics and the structure of earnings statistics due to the timing of the statistics compilation and statistical populations. The Labour Force Survey and the employment statistics are better sources than the structure of earnings when examining the numbers of wage and salary earners or employed persons.
Coherence - internal
The data in the structure of earnings statistics are internally uniform. All observations have the same main data source, and the compilation time of the statistics is the same.
Source data and data collections
Source data
Data on earnings and employment relationships are compiled from a variety of sources. The main source for the statistics is the Incomes Register, from which earnings data are obtained for all wage and salary earners and employment relationships and part of the background information on employment relationships. Background information, such as occupation, full-time/part-time work and regular weekly working hours, are supplemented from other sources when they have not been reported to the Incomes Register. The main other sources are the data collected by employer organisations from their member enterprises (Confederation of Finnish Industries, Employers’ Federation of Road Transport (ALT), Finnish Central Organisation for Motor Trades and Repairs (AKL), and Theatre Info Finland TINFO). In addition, the Palkka.fi data collected by the Tax Administration are used as additional data in the structure of earnings statistics.
The data of the structure of earnings statistics are also supplemented by data from the following sources:
-Business Register (employer's background information)
-Employment statistics (data on the Classification of Occupations and workplaces)
-Education register (highest completed qualification)
-Population register (background information on wage and salary earners)
The data of the structure of earnings statistics are also supplemented by data from the following sources:
-Business Register (employer's background information)
-Employment statistics (data on the Classification of Occupations and workplaces)
-Education register (highest completed qualification)
-Population register (background information on wage and salary earners)
Methods
Data compilation
Data compilation is focused on combining source data and supplementing missing data. The source data of the statistics contain plenty of missing data in background information on employment relationships, so data are imputed for a majority of observations. For example, the full-time nature of the employment relationship is deduced from earlier or later periods of the data or if there is no information on another period, the full-time employment relationship is based on modelling.
Data validation
The quality of the data is ensured by logical examinations and by excluding non-credible values from the statistics.
Documentation on methodology
Common earnings concepts and classifications are defined for all wage and salary earners irrespective of the sector, collective agreement sector and form of renumeration.
The objective of the structure of earnings statistics is to describe the earnings of all wage and salary earners.
The Incomes Register as the main source contains all wage and salary earners, so the dataset is total data. However, especially background information on employment relationships is missing from the source data and these have to be imputed by statistical methods in the data material.
The objective of the structure of earnings statistics is to describe the earnings of all wage and salary earners.
The Incomes Register as the main source contains all wage and salary earners, so the dataset is total data. However, especially background information on employment relationships is missing from the source data and these have to be imputed by statistical methods in the data material.
Principles and outlines
Contact organisation
Statistics Finland
Contact organisation unit
Social Statistics
Institutional mandate
The Statistics Act obliges Statistics Finland to treat the data as confidential and use them only for statistical purposes.
In addition, data collected for statistical purposes may be released with a user licence for scientific research and statistical surveys concerning social conditions in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Statistics Act. A user licence can be granted in individual cases so that data enabling direct identification have been removed.
In addition, data collected for statistical purposes may be released with a user licence for scientific research and statistical surveys concerning social conditions in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Statistics Act. A user licence can be granted in individual cases so that data enabling direct identification have been removed.
Legal acts and other agreements
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
The structure of earnings statistics are based on the following EU regulations and their amending regulations:
REGULATION (EU) 2025/941 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2025/1526
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
The structure of earnings statistics are based on the following EU regulations and their amending regulations:
REGULATION (EU) 2025/941 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2025/1526
Confidentiality - policy
The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed in accordance with the requirements of the Statistics Act (280/2004), the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act (1050/2018). The data materials are protected at all stages of processing with the necessary physical and technical solutions. Statistics Finland has compiled detailed directions and instructions for confidential processing of the data. Employees have access only to the data essential for their duties. The premises where unit-level data are processed are not accessible to outsiders. Members of the personnel have signed a pledge of secrecy upon entering the service. Violation of data protection is punishable.
Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
Release policy
Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data are public after they have been updated in the web service.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics Finland
Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics Finland
Data sharing
According to EU regulations, unit-level data are formed from the structure of earnings statistics every four statistical reference years (2014, 2018, 2022...) for Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union. The unit-level data contain a sample of the statistics containing less detailed data than the national statistics. The variables of the data are defined in the implementing regulation concerning the statistics.
Accessibility and clarity
Statistical data are published as database tables in the StatFin database. The database is the primary publishing site of data, and new data are updated first there. When releasing statistical data, existing database tables can be updated with new data or completely new database tables can be published.
In addition to statistical data published in the StatFin database, a release on the key data is usually published in the web service. If the release contains data concerning several reference periods (e.g. monthly and annual data), a review bringing together these data is published in the web service. Database tables updated at the time of publication are listed both in the release and in the review. In some cases, statistical data can also be published as mere database releases in the StatFin database. No release or review is published in connection with these database releases.
Releases and database tables are published in three languages, in Finnish, Swedish and English. The language versions of releases may have more limited content than in Finnish.
Information about changes in the publication schedules of releases and database tables and about corrections are given as change releases in the web service.
In addition to statistical data published in the StatFin database, a release on the key data is usually published in the web service. If the release contains data concerning several reference periods (e.g. monthly and annual data), a review bringing together these data is published in the web service. Database tables updated at the time of publication are listed both in the release and in the review. In some cases, statistical data can also be published as mere database releases in the StatFin database. No release or review is published in connection with these database releases.
Releases and database tables are published in three languages, in Finnish, Swedish and English. The language versions of releases may have more limited content than in Finnish.
Information about changes in the publication schedules of releases and database tables and about corrections are given as change releases in the web service.
Micro-data access
The data are available as unit-level data with a user licence from the Research Services.
Data on wages and salaries concerning the Åland Islands are released to the authority compiling statistics on the Åland Islands based on Section 20 of the Statistics Act (280/2004). By virtue of Section 13 of the Statistics Act, data may be released for statistical purposes to another statistical authority.
Data on wages and salaries concerning the Åland Islands are released to the authority compiling statistics on the Åland Islands based on Section 20 of the Statistics Act (280/2004). By virtue of Section 13 of the Statistics Act, data may be released for statistical purposes to another statistical authority.
Data revision - policy
Revisions – i.e. improvements in the accuracy of statistical data already published – are a normal feature of statistical production and result in improved quality of statistics. The principle is that statistical data are based on the best available data and information concerning the statistical phenomenon. On the other hand, the revisions are communicated as transparently as possible in advance. Advance communication ensures that the users can prepare for the data revisions.
The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before.
Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data.
The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before.
Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data.
Quality assessment
The quality of the structure of earnings statistics is assessed in stages as statistical production progresses.
The coherence of the earnings data with the earnings data of the Tax Administration is periodically monitored. These reviews have also made extensive use of data of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) to reconcile monthly wage structure data with the annual-level data of the Tax Administration on the basis of estimated months of employment.
The coherence of the earnings data with the earnings data of the Tax Administration is periodically monitored. These reviews have also made extensive use of data of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) to reconcile monthly wage structure data with the annual-level data of the Tax Administration on the basis of estimated months of employment.
Quality assurance
Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The quality management framework of the field of statistics is the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP). The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Further information: Quality management | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
Further information: Quality management | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
User access
Data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may only be handled at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics
Unless otherwise separately stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer of the data and the owner of the copyright. The terms of use for statistical data.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics
Unless otherwise separately stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer of the data and the owner of the copyright. The terms of use for statistical data.