Wow. I have never thought about it that way. But now I read it, I will never be able to not think about it that way.
Thanks for that nugget of wisdom.
Personal "fun" fact. I now get about 28% more then when I startet 4 years ago. That is quite a hefty increase and something to be very happy about.
But on the other hand, due to a change in my role I now have insight into how much others in my company doing the same work make. Often with way less senior roles. And I can see, that they got hired at a lower level for about what I make after 4+ years in a more senior position.
So now I feel insulted, because I know - even after having risen in money, that I am still being not payed adequately.
For comparison: I am talking about 1/3 less then others in my seniority level. That equals about what intermediate colleagues two levels down the ladder make.
So I went from feeling being treated good to being treated unfairly with more insights into what everybody around me gets. I love other countries (think Norway) for making this information public, as it gives a clear lever for everybody to demand fair pay.
Your salary information in Norway is not public and never was.
Your taxes paid were public until 2007. Tax paid on the same income can vary up to 2x depending on your personal situation so really it was very approximate.
Since 2008 you can still request personal tax data on anyone, but not anonymously.
> Your salary information in Norway is not public and never was.
While technically true "taxable income" or something was public as well.
For most people in ordinary positions that would give you a reasonable idea. (It would however include everything reported in one lump sum so if you had multiple jobs and/or other taxable income that would show up as well.)
I believe the taxable income also depended on things like skatteklasse you had, one-time tax deductions (e.g. for newly arrived foreign workers), BSU, parental/guardianship deductions etc. So sure, while it would give you a rough idea, using that to compare yourself with coworkers was not trivial.
This wasn't an exact science, but you could get an idea if you were underpaid compared to your colleagues.
On the flip side, when I was younger and tried to refuse to say my current salary the recruiter would point out they would find it anyways, so it wasn't always and advantage.
Thanks for that nugget of wisdom.
Personal "fun" fact. I now get about 28% more then when I startet 4 years ago. That is quite a hefty increase and something to be very happy about.
But on the other hand, due to a change in my role I now have insight into how much others in my company doing the same work make. Often with way less senior roles. And I can see, that they got hired at a lower level for about what I make after 4+ years in a more senior position.
So now I feel insulted, because I know - even after having risen in money, that I am still being not payed adequately.
For comparison: I am talking about 1/3 less then others in my seniority level. That equals about what intermediate colleagues two levels down the ladder make.
So I went from feeling being treated good to being treated unfairly with more insights into what everybody around me gets. I love other countries (think Norway) for making this information public, as it gives a clear lever for everybody to demand fair pay.