The wage index in March 2016 is 568.8 points, 0.9% higher than in the previous month. In the last twelve months the monthly wage index has risen by 13.3%.
| Wage Index 2015-2016 | |||||
| December 1988=100 | Change from previous month, % | Annual rate based on the change in the last |
|||
| Index | 3 months, % | 6 months, % | 12 months, % | ||
| 2015 | |||||
| March | 502.1 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 5.6 |
| April | 503.2 | 0.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 5.2 |
| May | 505.7 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.3 |
| June | 517.1 | 2.3 | 12.5 | 9.3 | 7.1 |
| July | 523.0 | 1.1 | 16.7 | 10.2 | 7.9 |
| August | 524.7 | 0.3 | 15.9 | 9.8 | 7.7 |
| September | 531.0 | 1.2 | 11.2 | 11.8 | 8.2 |
| October | 532.9 | 0.3 | 7.8 | 12.2 | 7.9 |
| November | 537.6 | 0.9 | 10.2 | 13.0 | 8.7 |
| December | 542.7 | 0.9 | 9.1 | 10.1 | 9.7 |
| 2016 | |||||
| January | 545.0 | 0.4 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 9.4 |
| February | 564.0 | 3.5 | 21.1 | 15.5 | 12.6 |
| March | 568.8 | 0.9 | 20.7 | 14.7 | 13.3 |
Notes: The wage index is calculated and published according to law No 89/1989. The wage index is based on regular hours earnings each month, calculated and published in the following month.
Real wages were 0.5% higher than in the previous month
The real wage index in March 2016 is 134.8 points, 0.5% higher than in the previous month. In the last twelve months the real wage index has increased by 11.6%.
Collective agreements
New agreements in the private sector are still affecting the wage index, for example the agreement between member organizations of Icelandic Confederation of Labour and Confederation of Icelandic Employers, signed January 21st 2016.
About the wage index and the real wage index
The wage index is a price index based on data from the Icelandic survey on wages earnings and labour cost. The purpose of the index is to reflect changes in wages paid for fixed working hours. The index is based on earnings for contractual working hours and includes all wages paid for day time and fixed overtime hours, including additional payments and bonuses. Irregular payments and employers' social contributions and taxes are excluded.
The real wage index shows changes in wages in relation to changes of the consumer price index. In general, real wages increase when wages increase more than price levels, but decrease when inflation is higher than wage rises. Real wages are not the same as disposable income of households.