The retail pay gap continues to widen, according to a review by Market magazine that calculated the average increase for 165 retail CEOs. The 50 highest-paid CEOs received SEK 147,000 more per month.
Retail workers received 3.9 percent, which is equivalent to 1,100 kronor a month for a full-time employee. Stefan Carlén, chief economist of the Swedish Trade Union, believes that the CEOs of large companies "live in a world of their own, removed from reality."
"It is an unprecedented wage development and cannot be explained in any economically rational way. It is striking to our members who have difficulty living on their salary," he says in a press release.
The average hourly wage for retail employees in 2025 is SEK 182, which gives a monthly salary of SEK 30,194, according to Handels.
