The Senate (Eerste Kamer) has voted in support of legislation that would revise the current system for setting the minimum wage in the Netherlands, meaning workers could see their salaries rise sharply from January 1, 2024.
This year has already been a pretty good one for those with jobs in the Netherlands. Not only have Dutch salaries recently seen record growth, but January brought positive changes for the Dutch tax system as well as an increase of 10,15 percent for the national minimum wage.
Now, a recent vote in the Senate means that the Netherlands will swap the minimum monthly wage (minimummaandloon) for a minimum hourly wage (minimumuurloon). Currently, the minimum wage is calculated based on a monthly salary - regardless of whether employees work full-time or part-time, the minimum monthly wage is the same.
Moving forward, the salary will be determined according to an hourly rate, meaning workers will be paid for the number of hours they work. The rate is yet to be confirmed, but it will be the same for all employees and, as the new system is based on a 36-hour contract, employees with contracts for 38 hours should see their income rise by 5,5 percent, while those working 40 hours will be paid 11 percent more, the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV) reports.
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