GlobalFiscalLab

Career and pay

How to negotiate your salary: a practical guide by sector

Research a pay range, compare base and variable compensation, make a counteroffer and negotiate across eight industries with worked examples and scripts.

Reviewed 4 October 2026

All amounts in the examples are hypothetical, not market benchmarks. Compare offers in the same country and for comparable responsibilities and working hours.

A salary negotiation is a discussion about the price of a defined job, in a defined market, supported by evidence of the value you can provide. Your preparation should cover the guaranteed amount, the conditions attached to the rest of the package, and your response if the employer cannot meet your request.

Every amount below is a hypothetical teaching example, not a market salary. Pay scales, collective agreements, tax treatment and benefits differ across countries and employers. Use current local evidence before naming a figure.

1. Establish a common basis for comparing pay

Write down annual gross base salary, the number of monthly payments, target and guaranteed bonus, commissions, signing payments, equity, benefits, contractual hours and review dates separately. Ask about grade, scope, probation, notice and on-call duties. A target bonus is conditional; it should not be presented as guaranteed base pay.

Worked calculation: €72,000 annual base equals €6,000 per payment over 12 payments or about €5,538 over 13. The annual base is identical. A promise of €6,000 per payment over 13 payments instead means €78,000 annual base. Confirm whether a quoted annual amount already includes a 13th payment.

Compare roles with similar location, hours, seniority and responsibility. There is no universal gross-to-net conversion across borders. Explore the applicable cases in the Luxembourg, France, Belgium and Germany calculators. The France–Luxembourg comparison sets out its assumptions; it cannot settle an individual cross-border tax situation.

2. Research a defensible range

Compare recent vacancies, professional surveys and official statistics for the same occupation, region, experience, employer size and managerial scope. Record each source's year and definition: base pay, total earnings with bonuses, full-time equivalent or actual working hours. An overall national median is a poor substitute for a comparable role. Check the relevant collective scale when one applies.

Useful starting points are Luxembourg's STATEC occupational earnings tables, Apec's French manager salary estimator, Belgium's Statbel earnings data and the German Federal Employment Agency's Entgeltatlas. Their populations and data years differ; do not average them into a European benchmark.

Prepare three annual gross base figures: a justified opening target, an acceptable zone and a private walk-away threshold. Your threshold helps you make a decision; it is not the first number to disclose. Also decide which alternative would genuinely compensate you if the base band is fixed.

Hypothetical example: moving from a €64,000 base to €70,000 would add €6,000, or roughly 9.4%. The arithmetic does not prove that €70,000 is the market rate. The new responsibilities and appropriate comparisons still need evidence.

3. Turn your experience into verifiable evidence

Select three achievements. For each, explain the initial problem, what you personally did, the measured outcome and any limits to the measurement. Examples include shorter reporting cycles, fewer defects, a larger client portfolio, safer operations or ownership of a new service. Avoid claiming that a team-wide result was produced solely by you.

Connect your evidence to the requested pay: “I automated three recurring reporting checks and shortened preparation by two days. The proposed role adds ownership of the full cycle. For that scope, I would like to discuss an annual base of €78,000.” Replace the illustrative figures with your own verifiable results, without disclosing a former employer's confidential data.

4. Pick the right moment and ask about the actual decision

For a new job, clarify scope and budget: “What base range has been approved for this level, and which variable payments are guaranteed?” If asked for expectations early, give a conditional range tied to responsibilities, location and annual gross base. Once an offer arrives, return promptly with one reasoned counteroffer.

In your current job, request a dedicated meeting after a completed project, an actual change in scope or a promotion discussion. Ask who approves pay, which grade applies, and when a decision will be made. “We'll revisit it in six months” has little practical value without a date, owner and specific criteria.

5. Eight industries require different evidence

Finance, controlling and asset management

Make the scope of reporting, the decisions supported, controlled risks and the people supervised explicit. Hypothetical case: €70,000 base, asking for €78,000 after taking responsibility for two additional business lines and documenting a shorter close. “My reporting now covers two more activities, with improved turnaround and reliability. For this scope, I propose €78,000 annual base. Is that feasible within the intended grade?” If the band is fixed, discuss the correct grade and a dated review rather than accepting a one-off payment as a permanent change.

Software, product and cybersecurity

Separate engineering output, production ownership, management, on-call cover and equity. Hypothetical case: an offer with €72,000 base, €8,000 target bonus and shares that vest over time. The candidate requests €80,000 base because the role owns service availability. “How is production responsibility reflected in base pay, and how is on-call work handled?” Before valuing equity, request the vesting schedule, departure terms and details of any privately held shares. Do not equate a speculative share value with cash salary.

Sales and business development

On-target earnings depend on a quota that may or may not be attainable. Hypothetical case: €45,000 base plus €25,000 commission at 100% of target. Ask how many people achieved quota, what territory and leads you inherit, the ramp period, thresholds, caps, clawbacks and payment dates. “Before I compare the €70,000 target with another offer, I need to understand actual quota attainment and commission rules.” An extra €5,000 in guaranteed base can be more valuable than an increase in a difficult target.

Manufacturing, maintenance and logistics

Break out base pay, shifts, nights, travel and on-call premiums. Hypothetical case: €3,200 gross monthly base; request €3,450 after qualifying on a new machine and taking preventive maintenance ownership. The €250 monthly base difference equals €3,000 over 12 months, before premiums. “I can take the intervention role and train two colleagues. Can we review the base rate and document the shift premiums separately?” A shift allowance can disappear when the schedule changes; check the applicable agreement.

Healthcare and care work

Recognised credentials, pay bands, specialisms, supervision and shift patterns shape the discussion. Hypothetical case: €3,100 monthly gross with a request for €3,300 for an additional coordination role, subject to the applicable scale. “Which grade and qualification have been recognised, and how are coordination duties and shifts paid?” If base rates follow a fixed grid, discuss appropriate placement, funded certification, scheduling and the next grade review. Do not assume a cash payment can replace a statutory rest or other local requirement.

Retail, restaurants and hospitality

Hours, seasons, shifts and tips can make the headline number misleading. Hypothetical case: €2,350 monthly gross for team leadership; request €2,500 with a defined schedule. That is €1,800 more base over 12 months. “The role includes training new starters and closing twice a week. Can we agree €2,500 base and set out hours and premiums separately?” Compare contractual and expected hours. Uncertain tips are not a substitute for agreed base pay.

Consulting and professional services

Discuss review responsibility, client relationships, teams led and process improvement, not only billed hours. Hypothetical case: €65,000 base and a request for €73,000 with a promotion covering several engagements and four direct reports. “The new role combines final review, client ownership and management. Which grade and base correspond to that scope?” A future promotion promise should have criteria, a decision date and a linked pay discussion.

Public, nonprofit and regulated employers

Formal grades and annual budgets may limit discretion. Hypothetical case: an offer at the first step of a pay scale to someone with directly relevant experience. “How is my previous experience counted for the starting step? Could you confirm the grade, scale and progression in writing?” Examine contract type, training, hours and mobility as well. Never assume a hiring manager can override an internal or statutory scale.

6. Compare guaranteed and target compensation

Hypothetical offer A: €68,000 base plus a 20% target bonus is €81,600 at target, with €68,000 in base. Offer B: €76,000 base plus a 5% target bonus is €79,800 at target, with €76,000 in base. Ask how targets are set, what proportion was paid in past years, whether the first year is prorated, and what happens if you leave before payment. The better offer depends on risk, hours, career growth and your own needs.

A €6,000 signing payment improves year one, but does not automatically lift later years. A discretionary bonus is not guaranteed salary merely because a recruiter describes a “€90,000 package”. Country and personal circumstances also affect the value of pensions, company cars and other benefits.

7. Answer objections and know when to stop

“The budget is fixed.” Ask whether the limit concerns the base, grade or current budget year. Offer one meaningful alternative: a correctly classified role, a dated review with measurable criteria, a signing payment or a funded qualification.

“We can increase it later.” Ask: “Which results would trigger the review, who decides, when will it happen, and what grade or amount will be considered? Can we record those points in the offer?” Written reviews may still be conditional; read the wording.

“What do you earn now?” Redirect to the proposed role: “I would prefer to discuss the responsibilities and total compensation of this position. Given the scope, I am looking for annual gross base in the X–Y range.” Do not invent a competing offer or threaten to resign unless you are prepared to do so.

“Your number is too high.” Identify whether the objection is the job level, evidence, budget or a mismatched comparison. If the structural gap remains below your threshold, decline respectfully rather than counting an uncertain bonus as an agreement.

8. Confirm the terms in writing

Send a concise follow-up: “Thank you for the discussion. I remain interested in the [role] at [grade], with annual gross base of [amount] paid over [12/13] instalments. We also discussed [bonus rules and benefits] and a review on [date] against [criteria]. Could these terms be confirmed in the offer?”

Read the contract and compensation plan before accepting. Hours, travel, variable pay, seniority, probation and payment timing can outweigh a headline difference. For a clause with material legal or tax consequences, seek advice specific to the relevant country.

Sources and how to use them