Four tips on how you should negotiate your starting salary.
You should negotiate your starting salary, otherwise you could easily miss out on thousands per month.
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: It’s important that you focus on your own skills development at the start of your career; salary increases will quickly follow.
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Aim for high salary growth early in your engineering career
Written by Sondre Tallaksrud
Modified: Apr. 1 2025
"Still, you can't expect strong salary growth if you don't develop as expected in your role," says Tekna's expert.
When you start a new job after finishing your studies, you're at the starting line for both salary and career development. With the right focus, you can look forward to strong salary growth within the first few years.
There is considerable variation in starting salaries
In 2024, newly graduated Tekna members working in the private sector had an average starting salary of NOK 645,000. In the municipal sector, the average was NOK 635,000. For the government sector, the starting salary was NOK 567,000 in 2023 (figures for 2024 are not yet available due to postponed wage negotiations).
You can read more about this in Tekna’s salary statistics, available here:
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Young Tekna members typically experience strong salary growth
According to Anders Kvam, Head of Negotiations at Tekna Private, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll receive a salary adjustment in your first year after graduation.
“The timing of your first salary adjustment is often agreed upon when you’re hired. For many, this means they won’t be included in the company’s first salary review cycle. In that case, it’s important to negotiate a high enough starting salary to account for this,” he explains.
“However, it’s common to see solid salary growth early in your career, especially in the private sector.”
He adds that this trend is well documented:
“It’s a fact that our members typically experience strong salary growth at the beginning of their careers. This is mainly because they quickly gain valuable skills and experience, and take on responsibilities that lead to higher pay.”
This also reflects the increasing value they bring to their employers.
“You can’t expect strong salary growth if you don’t develop as expected in your role, increase your productivity, and take on responsibility. But this is exactly what most of our members do – and it shows clearly in the salary statistics.”
SHOULD INCREASE: Anders Kvam explains that Tekna members typically see significant salary growth in the first years of their careers. Photo: Mikkel Moe.
keep developing your skills
Looking at the average salary growth for the five most recent graduating cohorts (2017–2021), they saw an average increase of 11.5% from 2021 to 2022.
“There’s no automatic salary increase,” says Kvam, “but it’s common for salaries to be reviewed at least once a year. This also depends on what’s stated in your employment contract and whether your workplace is covered by a collective agreement.”
Collective agreements give Tekna groups at the workplace the right to negotiate salaries. If no such agreement is in place, the employer decides – but even then, it’s very common for salaries to be reviewed annually.
“We encourage our members to keep developing their skills, take on responsibility at work, and clearly demonstrate the value they bring to the organisation. That’s something you should expect to be rewarded for.”
“It can also be easier to secure competitive terms by changing roles – either internally or externally – rather than staying in the same position for too long without seeing the salary development you feel you deserve,” he adds.
