There is much to gain and little to lose by daring to take the discussion, believes Caroline Lindeberg, negotiator and salary expert at the trade union behind the survey Akavia. But you should do it at the right time, is her advice.
The worst that can happen is that they say no.
According to the union's salary statistics, based on approximately 44,000 members, the median salary is on average 20,000 kronor higher per month for, for example, an economic manager than an economic officer. And almost as large is the difference between a communications manager and a communications officer, over 18,000 kronor per month.
Not just salary
But it's not all about salary. If you later want to change jobs, the titles in your CV are crucial, since employers often use search engines to find suitable candidates. The right title is a must to be searchable for certain positions.
A finer title also facilitates communication with actors outside the company, such as customers, financial actors or media, emphasizes Caroline Lindeberg.
If you are on your way to getting a new job, it's the right time to bring up the question at the end of the process, when you have been offered the position.
Then there is a greater likelihood that you will come to an agreement. They want you. Then a little power comes back to the applicant, says Caroline Lindeberg.
Golden opportunity
If you want to bring up the title for negotiation at a later stage, her advice is to do it in employee or development conversations. An ongoing reorganization can also in some cases be a golden opportunity.
Then you may have the chance to sneak in this little change and say: "Since we're changing things here anyway, maybe we can clarify my role?"
But how many are actually mislabeled? Caroline Lindeberg cannot answer that, but her experience is that smaller companies often take in junior employees who get more senior tasks to press down the salary.
Some examples of titles and median salary, based on data from approximately 44,000 academics in 2023:
Economic manager 70,000 kronor per month – economic officer 50,000.
Accounting manager 67,500 – accounting officer 52,500.
System developer 50,300 – programmer 48,700.
System analyst 47,000 – developer (within IT) 45,000.
Communications manager 71,000 – communications officer 52,700.
Marketing manager 74,500 – marketing officer 50,000.
HR manager 70,000 – HR officer 55,000.
Personnel administrator 41,200 – HR administrator 33,000.
Source: Akavia
