Expatica news

Salaries in Netherlands begin slow climb

10 October 2005

AMSTERDAM — After three years of wage moderation, salaries in the Netherlands are beginning to show some upward motion.

Salaries agreed under CAO collective bargaining wage and conditions agreements rose 1 percent in the third quarter of 2005 compared with a year earlier. The increase measured 0.6 percent in the second quarter of 2005, according to a report published by statistics agency CBS on Monday.

“CAO wage rises hit a 20-year high of 4.6 percent in the third quarter of 2001. Therefore a 1 percent increase in the third quarter of 2005 is still low,” the CBS said.

While workers will welcome the news, their employers may not be as happy – more of the business’s income will go on salaries. A bright spot for company bosses is that total wage costs – including pension and healthcare contributions – are not increasing as fast.

These secondary wage costs rose by 0.3 percent in the third quarter of this year, compared with 1.2 percent in 2004, the CBS said.

Business service providers experienced a 1.7 percent increase in wages, a relatively high increase. “The increase of 3.5 percent in the computer sector was particularly large. And salaries increases were higher than the average in the building sector, with wages going up by 1.4 percent,” the CBS said.

People working in the hospitality industry are more likely to be drowning their sorrows after Monday’s report. Bar and restaurant staff experienced a drop in wages of 0.2 percent.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2005]

Subject: Dutch news