Wage increases higher than anticipated 05/09/2006 00:00

5 September 2006

AMSTERDAM — Wages in the Netherlands are increasing more than anticipated with average increases running at 3.8 percent rather than the 2 percent forecast.

The increase is up to 3.6 percent for operational staff and up to 4.1 percent for people at managerial level, according to the Beloningsindex 2006, the wages index published annually by ADP Nederland and Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

More than 350 organisations took part in the study of salaries and employment conditions. They expect a 2.6 percent increase in wages next year. Researchers found that the trade and financial sectors showed the strongest growth in wages last year — more than 4 percent.

A random sample indicated a director gets the highest wage (EUR 110,200), while a cleaner gets the least (EUR 23,200).

The wages gap between men and women performing the same job remains. Male accountants, for instance, receives 7.4 percent more than their female colleagues, male bookkeepers get 9 percent more and a human resources manager 21.4 percent. But wages for men and women are rising by the same percentage.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2006]

Subject: Dutch news