NL Salaries Decrease

Most Dutch experienced a reduction in their salary last year. Wages decreased most in the agricultural sector (-6.6 percent) and in hospitality (-3.5 percent). The employment website Monsterboard concluded this after a survey of 14 thousand people for the Wage Index, de Loonwijzer. RTL.nl reported that the only two sectors in which employees did receive more money were Construction (1.4 percent) and Transport (0.7 percent). However, these increases were still below the 2012 inflation rate, which was 2.5 percent. According to Paulien Osse of Loonwijzer, the numbers are unfortunate but they are not too bad compared with those of other countries. “Purchasing power in the Netherlands is relatively high, just below the United States and Great Britain.” The number of employees who expect that their salary will not increase this year is growing in all sectors. Last year 29 percent expected an unstable year, as opposed to 36 percent this year. About half of the participants want to change jobs.