You’ve made it through the interviews. The offer has arrived. And somewhere between reading the number and typing your reply, most professionals do the same thing: they accept without a word. It feels safer. Polite, even. But the data tells a different story and it’s costing candidates thousands of euros every year, right from the start of their career.

In 2026, salary negotiation remains one of the highest-return actions a professional can take, yet the majority still skip it entirely. Here’s why, what’s at stake, and how to approach it without burning bridges.

 

The Gap Between Intention and Action

Here is the paradox at the heart of the salary conversation: 73% of candidates say that salary is the most important factor when evaluating a job offer, yet more than half of them never attempt to negotiate it. It’s not indifference. It’s fear.

According to a study, 38% of workers didn’t negotiate because they lacked the confidence to do so, a figure that rises to 42% among women and 46% among those aged 18 to 29. The concern is almost always the same: “What if they withdraw the offer?”

That fear, it turns out, is greatly exaggerated. Actually, managers withdraw offers after a counteroffer far, far less often than candidates believe. Employers expect negotiation. They build room for it into their initial offers. When you don’t negotiate, you’re not being gracious, you’re leaving money on the table they had already set aside for you.

 

Why People Don’t Negotiate (and Why Those Reasons Don’t Hold)

• “I’m afraid they’ll withdraw the offer.” Research consistently shows this is extremely rare. Most hiring managers respect and even expect a counteroffer. As Caroline Ceniza-Levine, executive coach, put it: “Companies expect you to negotiate. They respect good negotiators.”
• “The market is tough right now.” A tighter job market does shift some leverage toward employers, but it doesn’t eliminate negotiation entirely. Benefits, signing bonuses, remote work arrangements, and performance review timelines are all still on the table, even when base salary feels fixed. It’s also worth noting that salary transparency is expanding in Belgium and across the EU, giving candidates more data and leverage than ever before.
• “I don’t know what I’m worth.” This is the most solvable problem on the list. Industry salary benchmarks, specialist recruiters, and sector-specific guides exist precisely to answer this question. The knowledge gap is a preparation problem, not a market problem.
• “I’m a woman / I’m early in my career / I’m not the type.” Interestingly, 82% of women who negotiate get a better offer, slightly outperforming men (76%). And Gen Z is now the most likely generation to negotiate at all. There is no “type.
• “I don’t want to seem greedy.” Advocating for your market value is not greed, it’s professional self-awareness. Employers interpret it as exactly that.

 

“People feel like they can’t or shouldn’t negotiate, but companies expect you to negotiate. They respect someone who can advocate for themselves. They want that person on their side of the table.” – Caroline Ceniza-Levine

 

The True Cost of Silence

The math is worth sitting with for a moment. If the average person who negotiates secures an 18.8% increase, and the starting base salary for a mid-level role in Belgium is around €55,000, that’s roughly €10,000 left on the table at a single offer stage. Compound that over a career, factor in that future raises and bonuses are often calculated as percentages of base salary, and the lifetime cost of not negotiating becomes significant.

This is precisely why annual performance reviews rarely move the needle as much as candidates hope, by the time they arrive, the salary baseline has already been set. Negotiation at the offer stage is your highest-leverage moment, and it only comes once per role.

It’s also worth noting the full picture of a compensation package: base salary is one line on a page. Meal vouchers, group insurance, company car or mobility budget, annual bonus, flexible hours, and remote work policies are all negotiable components that can represent 20-40% of total compensation in Belgium. Even when the salary number is firm, the package rarely is.

 

5 Practical Steps to Negotiate with Confidence

1. Research before you respond.

Don’t negotiate against your gut, negotiate against data. Use sector benchmarks or your recruiter’s insight. In Belgium, Kingsley’s Legal Salary Guide 2026 and Real Estate Salary Guide 2026 are among the most detailed market references available if you work in those fields. Know your number before you pick up the phone.

2. Use a range, not a single figure.

Anchoring with a range rather than a fixed number signals flexibility while pulling the conversation upward. “Based on the market and my experience, I was hoping for something in the €62,000 – €67,000 range” is more effective and less confrontational than a single number demand.

3. Name your value, not your need.

“I need more” is a weak argument. “Given my background in X and the scope of this role, I believe the market rate is closer to Y” is a professional one. Ground every ask in external data or specific contributions you bring.

4. Negotiate the full package.

If the base salary is non-negotiable, shift the conversation. Ask about signing bonuses, an earlier performance review, additional leave days, or a clearer promotion path. Framing your growth trajectory from the start shows strategic maturity and often unlocks flexibility where raw salary cannot move.

5. Stay warm, not apologetic.

You don’t need to preface your ask with “I’m sorry to bring this up, but…” Express genuine enthusiasm for the role first, then make your case calmly and directly. Negotiating confidently is not aggression, it’s communication.

 

A Note on the Changing Landscape

The context for salary conversations is shifting. The EU Pay Transparency Directive, which Belgium must implement, will require companies to disclose salary ranges in job postings and justify pay gaps across genders. For candidates, this means more data, more legitimacy, and more negotiating power entering any conversation. Those who continue to invest in their skills and market positioning will benefit disproportionately as transparency normalises pay conversations across sectors.

Some employers are pushing back, there are reports of hiring managers characterising first offers as “best and final” to discourage negotiation. This tactic, increasingly documented since early 2025, is a negotiation move in itself. It doesn’t mean the offer cannot move; it means the employer would prefer it didn’t. Knowing that distinction matters.

 

The Bottom Line

57% of workers who didn’t negotiate their salary say they regret it. The conversation is uncomfortable for about five minutes. The financial impact lasts years. In a market where 66% of candidates who negotiate walk away with more, staying silent is the riskier choice.

You don’t need to be aggressive. You don’t need to have a confrontation. You just need to ask, informed, calm, and prepared. That’s the difference between the 45% who negotiate and the 55% who wish they had.

 

Going into a salary negotiation in the legal or real estate sector?

Kingsley’s Legal Salary Guide 2026 and Real Estate Salary Guide 2026 give you the market benchmarks you need to walk into that conversation with confidence.
If you are looking for a new opportunity, contact us and sent us your CV or browse our currently open positions.