More wages end up in other countries than ten years ago

© Hollandse Hoogte / Flip Franssen
A total of 3.3 billion euros in wages went from the Netherlands to other countries in the second quarter of 2024, a rise of 73 percent since the same period in 2014. Meanwhile, the total sum of all wages earned in the Netherlands increased at a slower rate of 54 percent. The increase in wages earned by workers from other countries is a result of overall wage increases and an increase in the number of jobs held by workers who work in the Netherlands but are resident abroad. Wages paid to people resident in Romania, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy or Portugal have increased, in particular. This is according to new figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

Three-quarters of wages go to Poland, Belgium and Germany

Three-quarters of wages that ended up abroad (2,109 million euros) went to Belgium, Poland and Germany in Q2 2024. The largest amount went to Belgium, followed by Poland and Germany. Workers from Poland are often seasonal workers, while those from Belgium and Germany are more likely to be cross-border commuters.

The largest increase in wages paid to people from these three countries was to Poles working in the Netherlands who are still officially resident in Poland. This amount rose by 58 percent between 2014 and 2024. This was mainly a result of wage increases, as the number of jobs held by workers from Poland was actually higher in 2015 than it was in 2024.

Wages going to Germany and Belgium rose less sharply, by 41 and 38 percent, respectively. This was partly due to an increase in the number of jobs. There were fewer jobs held by people who were resident in Belgium and Germany in 2015 than in 2024.

More wages end up in Romania and Bulgaria since they joined the EU

A total of 451 million euros in wages went to Romania and Bulgaria in Q2 2024, compared to 19 million euros in 2014. Since 2014, Romanian and Bulgarian nationals have been able to work in other EU member states without a work permit. Partly because of this, the amounts paid from the Netherlands to Romania and Bulgaria have increased rapidly, compared to other countries. This increase has also been due to an increase in the number of jobs. During that period, the number of jobs held by Romanian and Bulgarian nationals grew to 61.5 thousand, up from 6.7 thousand in 2015. Since 2022, there has been no increase in wages going to Bulgaria. This has coincided with a decrease in the number of jobs held by Bulgarian nationals.

More jobs held by workers from Spain, Italy and Portugal since 2022

Although Spain, Italy and Portugal have been members of the EU for much longer, wages going to these countries have roughly quadrupled over the past ten years. The largest amounts went to Spain (80 million euros in Q2 2024), followed by Italy (64 million euros) and Portugal (60 million euros). Among these three countries, it is notable that, unlike other countries, the number of employee jobs continued to rise after 2022. In 2024 the number was 18 thousand, and in 2022 it was 15.3 thousand.

Sources

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