Men still earn more than women in the Netherlands; Wage gap slowly decreasing

The difference between what men and women earn decreased again slightly last year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. However, men still earn more than women, whether they work for the government or in business.

According to CBS, men's average hourly wage in the business sector was 16.4 percent higher than for women last year, compared to 17.3 percent in 2020. The pay gap in the government is a lot smaller. There, men earned an average of 5.1 percent more than their female colleagues, compared to 6.7 percent in 2020.

CBS says the hourly wage depends on, among other things, the type of work, the position, the education level, and the amount of experience. If the statistics office considers these factors, the pay gap between men and women working for the government was 1.8 percent and 6.9 percent in the business community.

CBS further notes that the wage differences are greatest at the top of the payroll. That is especially true in the business world, where men earned almost 24 percent more on average last year. But the difference is also high in government work at 9 percent. Even after correction for work experience and position, among other things, the differences remain large at 9 and 3.1 percent, respectively, according to the statistics office.

CBS changed its research method this year. In contrast to previous years, it included the wages of all employees from age 15 up to and including the state pension age. The only condition was that people lived in the Netherlands and had a job of four hours or more per month. Jobs of pupils and students, trainees, and in sheltered employment did not count.