Non-EU workers in the Netherlands get paid highest minimum salary in Europe
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By Simone Jacobs
The latest figures on Blue Cards have revealed that the Netherlands offers the highest minimum salary in Europe to its non-EU workers.
Thousands of Blue Cards issued for skilled workers
The EU Blue Card is a work and residence permit for highly-skilled people who come from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland. According to Eurostat, 89.000 of these Blue Cards were issued throughout Europe in 2023.
78 percent of all Blue Cards issued were given by Germany, with 69.000 individuals moving to the federal republic for work. Poland (7.000) and France (4.000) issued the second and third largest number of permits, respectively.
The Netherlands only issued 305 Blue Cards in a year, most likely because the country already offers its own highly skilled migrant visa.
The Netherlands has highest minimum salary for Blue Card workers
To be approved for the EU visa, the company at which the applicant will work has to offer wages that meet the salary threshold of the relevant country. The EU Blue Card directive recommends that the workers receive at least 1,5 times the average salary of the country of application, reports EuroNews.
Based on the most recent figures from 2023, the Netherlands offers the highest minimum salary for Blue Cardholders at 68.256 euros annually (gross). Belgium-Flanders (63.586) and Luxembourg (63.408) round out the top three.
Top 10 highest Blue Card salaries in Europe
In all, here are the countries and regions that offer the highest minimum salaries for non-EU workers (in euros):
- The Netherlands (68.256)
- Belgium-Flanders (63.586)
- Luxembourg (63.408)
- Belgium-Bruxelles (61.011)
- Belgium-Walloon (56.112)
- France (53.836)
- Sweden (52.070)
- Austria (51.500)
- Germany (48.300)
- Finland (43.656)
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more