In 2024, wages in the Netherlands saw the largest increase in over 40 years due to collective labour agreements. On average, workers earned 6,6 percent more than the previous year.
With all the strike action and high-stakes wage negotiations seen last year, it should come as no surprise that the result was high wage increases from collective labour agreements. With wages on average 6,6 percent higher than in 2023, they haven’t risen by such a large percentage since 1982.
According to CBS economist Peter Hei van Mulligen, this large rise is mainly due to high inflation. “The purchasing power of employees deteriorated very sharply as a result, which was a major issue for unions. So they had high wage demands,” he told NOS. “And because the labour market was so tight everywhere, employers had fewer options in that respect and were perhaps a bit more accommodating than they would otherwise have been.”
Wages in the real estate industry rose the most in 2024, increasing by 12,4 percent. Workers in hairdressing, funeral companies and trade unions also saw bigger increases, while hospitality and service staff enjoyed above-average rises.
On the other hand, people working in transport and storage industries saw the smallest wage increases at just 4,7 percent.
Despite earning more, people in the Netherlands do not have high confidence in spending their money, because prices have also been on the rise. "Those higher prices in the supermarket, you see them every day when you go shopping,” said Van Mulligen. “A higher salary is nice once, but you get used to it quickly and then you forget about it again."
Whether wages will continue to rise in 2025 is not yet known. “The labour market is still very tight and unions are confident that wages can rise still further. Much will depend on the negotiations,” said Van Mulligen.