610 thousand jobs paid at the minimum wage

© ANP / Venema Media
  • 1 in 15 jobs are paid at the minimum wage.
  • Over the past five years, minimum wage has risen at a faster rate than collectively agreed wages and inflation.
  • Within the EU, only Luxembourg and Ireland have a higher minimum wage than the Netherlands.

In 2025, an average of 610 thousand jobs (6.7 percent of all jobs) were paid at hourly wages that were within 5 percent of the minimum hourly wage. These are referred to as minimum-wage jobs. Compared with 2024, the number of minimum-wage jobs fell by 6 thousand. This is according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) published in its publication The Labour Market in Figures 2025.

Slightly more women than men were working in minimum-wage jobs: 311 thousand women compared to 300 thousand men. In 2025, 7.0 percent of female workers earned the minimum wage, while among male workers this was 6.3 percent.

A quarter of minimum-wage jobs were held by young people aged 20 to 24. Among this age group, 16 percent of jobs were paid at the minimum wage. This was higher than among workers aged under 20 (4 percent). 5 percent of jobs among workers aged 30 to 64 were minimum-wage jobs.

People in part-time jobs are more likely to be in a minimum-wage job than those in full-time jobs. In 2025, 8 percent of part-time workers were in a minimum-wage job, compared with 4 percent of full-time workers. This means that 7 in 10 minimum-wage jobs were held by part-timers. Workers in flexible forms of employment were more likely to be in minimum-wage jobs (13 percent) than those in permanent employment (3 percent).

Jobs at temporary employment agencies are the most likely to be paid at the minimum wage

The survey results by sector show that the highest share of minimum-wage jobs is seen among temporary employment agencies (20 percent) and in the accommodation and food services sector (16 percent). In absolute terms, most minimum-wage earners work in the trade sector (159 thousand) and at temporary employment agencies (139 thousand). These two sectors combined account for half of all minimum-wage jobs.

Minimum wage is rising at a faster rate than negotiated wages and inflation

In the first half of 2025, the gross minimum wage for employed persons aged 21 and over was 14.06 euros per hour, and 14.40 euros in the second half of the year. This means that the minimum wage on a year-on-year basis was 33.2 percent higher than it was in 2020.

Over the past five years, the minimum wage has risen at a faster rate than collectively agreed wages and inflation. The main difference was seen in 2023, when the minimum wage rose by 10.15 percent in January, 8.05 percent of which was a special increase. Prior to this, the 2021 coalition agreement had set out plans to raise the minimum wage in incremental steps, in order to make work more financially rewarding. Due to exceptionally high inflation and its impact on disposable income, it was decided to raise the minimum wage at once.

Minimum wage amounts to over half the average wage

On average, the statutory minimum hourly wage in 2025 was 14.23 euros for employed persons aged 21 and over. The comparable average hourly wage earned among all employed persons was 26.59 euros, while the median hourly wage (middle hourly wage) was 23.51 euros. This means that the minimum wage in 2025 was equal to 53.5 percent of the average wage earned and 60.5 percent of the median wage.

Dutch minimum wage third highest in the EU

In the European Union, 22 in 27 countries have a universal minimum wage. In 2025, only Luxembourg and Ireland had a higher minimum wage than the Netherlands, with the minimum hourly wage converted to a monthly amount based on a 36-hour working week.

In recent years, the Dutch minimum wage has been raised significantly. At the beginning of 2025, the minimum wage in the Netherlands was 33 percent higher than it was in 2020. However, this does not mean that the Netherlands is in the lead: in 14 EU member states the minimum wage has increased more significantly over the same period.

The figures used in this news release are provisional. (This applies to the number of minimum-wage jobs, the minimum-wage-to-average-wage ratios, and negotiated wages. However, the minimum-wage rates and inflation rates are final.)

Sources