Minimum-wage jobs steady as reforms to temp sector stall

Around 610,000 jobs in the Netherlands were paid at or near the minimum wage in 2025 – one in 15 of all jobs, according to statistics agency CBS.

That is 6,000 fewer than a year earlier, but the share has remained at 6.7%. Since 2020, the hourly minimum wage has risen by 33%, outpacing both inflation and negotiated pay rises, which were each up 25%. It now stands at €14.40 for workers aged 21 and over.

Temporary employment agencies have by far the highest share of minimum-wage jobs at 20%; hospitality follows at almost 16%; and agriculture and fisheries at 13%.
By headcount, however, retail has the highest number, with 159,000. Temp agencies have 139,000. Together, the two sectors account for half of all minimum-wage jobs.

Flexible workers are far more likely to earn the minimum wage than permanent staff – 13% versus 3%. Seven in 10 minimum-wage jobs are part-time. Women slightly outnumber men in this group, 311,000 to 300,000.

Spotlight on temp sector

The temp-agency sector remains a headache for policymakers. Earlier CBS figures showed that 52% of agency workers were born outside the Netherlands, with Poles the largest group.

A licensing system for staffing agencies, due to take effect in January 2026, has been delayed because there are too few inspectors. Plans to curb employers’ ability to deduct up to 25% of minimum-wage workers’ pay for housing have also been put on hold.

Young workers are overrepresented: a quarter of all minimum-wage jobs are held by 20- to 24-year-olds, and 16% of jobs in that age group pay the minimum. Youth minimum rates are set to rise towards the adult wage from 2027.

Across the EU, only Luxembourg and Ireland have higher statutory minimum wages than the Netherlands, which ranks third at €2,193 a month.