Specialist in the art and culture sector: are you being paid at least the minimum TAKU-recommended salary?

Did you know that every two years we put together salary recommendations for cultural producers (with degrees from a university of applied sciences) and holders of master’s and bachelor’s degrees in arts, history, literature and cultural subjects?

They recommend salary based on what the work requires of the employee. To help you use the guides, the job requirement groups describe what kind of tasks and responsibilities the different task levels include. In addition, the salary recommendations take account of the higher cost of living in the Helsinki region.

The recommendations are in force for two years at a time; note that the minimum salaries in them increase annually. That means that each year of the recommendation has its own recommended salary.

Use TAKU’s salary recommendations in employment contract negotiations

As a jobseeker, you can use the recommendations as a strong basis for your salary request. We’re happy to help you if you need help in thinking about the right salary level. You can also use our salary recommendations when thinking about asking for a pay rise.

When you look at job vacancies, we encourage you to check whether the posted salary matches the minimum recommended salary for the job requirement. There are a lot of good and fair employers in the sector, but there are also far too many jobs in which highly educated specialists doing demanding work with large responsibility are paid far too little.

As an employer, on the other hand, when thinking about the pay for a vacancy you can use the salary recommendations to ensure that you are paying your employees a fair and just salary.

We want all the specialists in our sector to earn at least the recommended salary. TAKU does not recommend applying for jobs which pay less than our recommendations, which are based on the sector’s general salary information.

Are your employment terms in order?

Every two years, TAKU also publishes a new recommendation for employment terms to be used in the art and culture sector. The recommendation is intended for employees of private companies**, associations, societies, foundations and other organizations in the art and culture sector. For example, the recommendations can be used when your employer is not a signatory to a collective bargaining agreement.

**(Here, a private art and culture sector company means a company whose primary activity is the provision of services in art and/or culture.)

It is important for the employment contract to state clearly which collective bargaining agreement or recommendation is used in the workplace. Some collective bargaining agreements, such as that of the theatre sector, are generally binding, meaning that employers who are not members of an employers’ federation must also adhere to them. On the other hand, many private-sector workplaces where the employers are not members of employers’ federations may apply the municipal common civil servant and employment agreement (KVTES), or the state’s civil servant and employment agreement (VES).

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about this. We’ll be glad to help. Our task is to ensure that the employment contracts our members sign are fair and just.