Subtract the final amount from the initial amount to find the amount of the reduction. For example, if your salary was $59,000 and it was reduced to $56,000, subtract $56,000 from $59,000 to find out the salary was reduced by $3,000.
Divide the amount of the reduction by the original amount to find the rate of reduction. In this example, divide $3,000 by $59,000 to get 0.0508.
Multiply the rate of reduction by 100 to find the percentage reduction. In this example, multiply 0.0508 by 100 to get a 5.08 percent reduction.