Inflation and salary negotiations: how to talk about raises with data

Inflation can make salary conversations feel tense. A calm and simple approach works best. Use data to set a baseline, share your impact, and ask for a result that preserves your buying power.

Set a baseline with CPI

Find the month and year of your last raise. Use official CPI for your country to compute the factor from then to now. That factor shows the amount your salary needs to reach to preserve the same buying power as before.

Prepare a short and focused story

What changed in the economy since your last raise, in one or two sentences.
How CPI changed since then and what that implies for your salary today.
What you delivered for the company that goes beyond simple inflation catching up.
What you are asking for now and a preferred timing.

Conversation starters you can adapt

“Since my last review in March of last year, the official index has increased. To keep the same buying power I would need to be at X today. I have also delivered A, B, and C. I would like to discuss adjusting my salary to X and then a path for further growth based on responsibilities.”

“My goal is to keep my salary aligned with my role and the real value of money. Using official data, the fair baseline today is X. I have also expanded my scope in these ways. Can we align on X this quarter and discuss the rest during the annual cycle?”

Timing and alternatives

Annual reviews are a natural point for this talk, but you can bring it up earlier if inflation moves quickly or if your role changed. If budget is tight, consider alternatives like a one time payment, an adjustment that phases in, or a review date that is sooner than usual.

Pitfalls to avoid

Talking for too long without a clear number.
Using personal stories without showing the simple math.
Comparing with friends in different roles or cities.

Your next step

Run your own calculation and write a short script on one page. Then book the conversation and bring that one page with you. Start here: