Changes in negotiated wages, Q3 2025

Last updated: 20251002

In the third quarter of 2025, the hourly wages agreed under collective labour agreements (CAO in Dutch) including special remuneration increased by 4.6 percent. In 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 4.6 percent in Q3. This was 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 Q3, at 3.1 percent. Wages rose by 4.8 percent among workers in private companies and by 5.1 percent among workers in subsidised institutions.

Between 2020 and Q3 of 2025, negotiated wages increased the most among workers in subsidised institutions (26.1 percent). In the public sector and private sector wages rose by 25.8 percent during the same period.

The provisional figure for Q3 of 2025 is based on 97 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.