Changes in negotiated wages, Q4 2025

Last updated: 20251231

In the fourth quarter of 2025, the hourly wages agreed under collective labour agreements (CAO in Dutch) including special remuneration increased by 4.6 percent. Since the third quarter of 2024, negotiated wages increased by 6.8 percent, the highest in over forty years. Since then, they have decreased.

Contractual wage costs (negotiated wages and employer contributions) rose by 4.7 percent in Q4. This was almost the same percentage increase as seen in the change in negotiated wages.

Of all three sectors, wages in the public sector rose by the least in Q4, at 2.7 percent. Wages rose by 5.2 percent among workers in private companies and by 4.8 percent among workers in subsidised institutions.

Between 2020 and Q4 of 2025, negotiated wages increased the most among workers in the public sector (27.3 percent). Among workers in subsidised institutions and the private sector wages rose by 26.8 percent and 26,4 percent, respectively.

The provisional figure for Q4 of 2025 is based on 95 percent of the data collected on collective labour agreements to compile the statistics. Three-quarters of workers are covered by a collective labour agreement.

Negotiated wages, final figures 2024

In 2024, hourly wages agreed under collective labour agreements, including special remuneration, increased by 6.5 percent compared with 2023. This was the highest increase after 1982, when the increase was 6.6 percent. The highest increase in negotiated wages in 2024 was seen in the real estate activities sector and trade sector (12.4 percent). The smallest wage increase of any sector was seen in the transportation and storage sector, where wages rose by 4.7 percent in 2024.

Figures on StatLine: Cao wages, contractual wage costs and working hours.