Salary data for arts and culture professionals.

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Salary data for arts and culture professionals

What is the salary level of arts and culture professionals? Are the differences between different sectors big? What does the industry's salary development look like? Does pay equality exist? Among other things, you can find the answer to these questions on this page.

TAKU has collected information to promote the development of the sectors’ salaries in Finland, but the database also works as a support for salary negotiations in the field. The information is based on a survey that TAKU addressed to its members in the fall of 2022 (n= 752, response rate 23%). The survey is to be renewed approximately every 3-4 years.

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Do you need salary advice? If you are our member, contact: taku@taku.fi

The median salary in the arts and culture industry

The median monthly salary of high educated professionals in the field of art and culture working full-time is 3075 euros which is below the corresponding median for other sectors (data from other industries: Tilastokeskus 2023). A more detailed comparison is below:

The median salary is usually higher for older people, those who have worked longer, those in a responsible position and those who work for larger employers. Young people, who have been in the industry for a short time, those in fixed-term employment, those who work in municipalities and municipal associations, as well as employees and white-collar workers, fall below the average level when measured by the median salary.

If the median monthly salary also includes those who work part-time or who work on a so called 0-hour contract, the median monthly salary of highly educated experts in the field of art and culture is 2,957 euros.

The employer sector determines the wage level

Palkkataso vaihtelee eri työnantajasektoreiden välillä. Mediaanipalkka on korkeampi valtiolla ja The salary level varies between different employer sectors. The median salary is higher if working in the state or foundations are concerned, while in municipalities and municipal associations the salary level remains below the average.

Job description and position affect the salary

Job description and position at work affect the salary, which increases with responsibility. In customer work, communication and marketing and other office tasks, the salary is clearly below the average level. On the other hand, in front-line work and management positions, the median salary is significantly higher than the average level - and the working careers are often already longer. Also in consulting and teaching/training tasks, you rise above the average level.

The effect of the job duties on the salary

Job duties and areas of responsibility also have their own meaning in the development of the salary level. In customer work, communication and marketing and other office tasks, the salary is clearly below the average level. The median salary is significantly higher than the average level in front-line work and managerial positions. Also in consulting and teaching/training tasks, you rise above the average level.

The effect of educational background on salary

The educational background and the highest degree completed affect the salary to some extent. A doctorate or licentiate degree and a higher university of applied sciences degree lead to a higher than average salary.

The number of master degree graduates form universities of applied sciences in survey was small, so the result is mainly indicative in this respect. The higher salary level of those graduates would seem to be explained above all by the respondents' long working career, exceeding 10 years.

The size of the organization and the place of work are reflected in the salary

The salary level varies depending on the size of the employer organization and the place of employment. Median salaries are generally higher in larger organizations than in smaller ones. Salaries are highest in organizations with 500–999 employees, but in organizations with more than 3,000 employees, the salary is average. Correspondingly, in larger cities in terms of size and cost of living, better wages are paid than in small towns. The highest median salary is in Helsinki and Oulu.

The pay equality must be improved

The problems of pay equality can also be seen in the arts and culture sector. There is a clear difference in wages between women and men in favor of men; men's median salary is 150 euros higher than women's. The median salary for men is 3,200 euros, for women 3,050 euros. Men are slightly more often employed in private companies and universities, but otherwise there are no factors explaining wage differences in the respondent profiles of women and men.

Recent wage trends

More than half of the respondents (53%) say that their overall earnings level increased from August 2021 to August 2022. The reason for the increase was mostly a general increase (63% of the respondents), but in some cases the background was an increase based on personal performance or an assessment of the demands of the job. Moving to a new employer also brought a salary increase for many, as well as a new position or task at the previous employer.

Every fourth respondent says that the salary has remained unchanged for the past year. In this group of respondents, there are more people aged 56–60, self-employed and working in universities, as well as those working in organizations with less than 10 people, than the average.

Overtime and travel allowances

According to the survey, a total of 7% of those working in the field do not receive any compensation for overtime and 49% do not receive compensation for work-related travel time.

Fringe benefits

The culture and exercise benefit was used by 44% of the respondents, the majority of whom were employed by the state, municipality or university. The lunch benefit applied to 33% of the respondents, most of whom work for the state. Correspondingly, 34% have no natural advantages at all. In-kind benefits were most often missing for employees working in organizations and under the age of 30.

The survey addressed at TAKU members was conducted in September 2022. 752 TAKU’s members responded to the survey which gained a response rate of 23%. The survey can be considered very representative of the entire membership. TAKU was responsible for designing the survey and collecting data and Infontain was responsible for analyzing the results.

Salary counselling

We have compiled minimum salary recommendations for the art and cultural sector for your use.

We provide statistical, personal salary counselling based on minimum salary recommendations and collective bargaining agreements by phone and email: taku@taku.fi.

There can be great variation among people with the same title depending on their employers’ sector, location and the employee’s work experience. However, you can use these data as a basis for your own salary expectations.