Corona effect seeping through in wage increases; from nothing to 4 percent added

The more than 275 collective labor agreements concluded this year clearly show a corona effect.

For example, employees in the food industry, such as supermarkets, receive an additional 3 percent salary.

But the so-called zero line is leading in the hospitality industry.

This is apparent from an analysis of the collective labor agreements (CLAs) concluded so far by AWVN, at the request of NU.nl.

On average, the agreed salary increases in the months up to and including July amounted to 1.8 percent.

"We see that in the food industry there are peaks of up to 4 percent more wages, in the catering industry, on the other hand, it has mainly been agreed in the agreements concluded that the employees will not receive any additional wages," says policy advisor Mathijs Roodenburg of AWVN.

The catering industry has of course been hit hard during the corona crisis, while supermarkets and specialty stores have benefited from eating at home.

In the so-called sectoral collective labor agreements, which immediately cover an entire professional group, the collective labor agreement in professional freight transport stands out positively.

Tens of thousands of drivers receive an additional 3.5 percent salary.

"That also has to do with the corona crisis, which made the web stores very busy and there was more demand for transport," explains Roodenburg.

There is a correction in the financial sector

AWVN also looked back at which occupational groups received the least or the most in the past ten years.

This shows that according to the collective labor agreement, employees in the industry, chemistry, construction and metal sectors have made relatively much progress.

"These are often sectors with physically demanding work and tightness."

Employees in the financial services sector have not made much progress in recent years.

"There is also a correction compared to previous years, when wages were much higher than the market average. The financial crisis also played a role."

Store employees have not improved much in the past decade either.

"That sector has now been hit hard again and the shift from physical stores to online has been playing a role here for some time," said the policy advisor of the employers' association.

Shortages can lead to higher wages

In the agreements made last month, an average salary increase of 2.2 percent was agreed, more than the annual average.

"In 2019 there was already a shortage on the labor market. Due to corona, there has been a forced respite in certain sectors," says Roodenburg.

"Because of the government support, there have been few bankruptcies that might otherwise have occurred. But we are now seeing the deficits rising again quickly."

This can lead to wages rising further.