How much does the Dutch youth minimum wage rise in 2027, and what does it mean for hiring?

The Netherlands does not have a separate youth wage in euros. Instead, workers aged 15 to 20 are entitled to a fixed percentage of the minimum wage that applies from age 21. A decree signed on 9 September 2026 and published in the Staatsblad on 24 September raises those percentages for everyone aged 16 to 20. It is final law; parliament does not need to vote on it again.

For a 20-year-old the rate goes from 80 to 87.5 percent. For a 19-year-old from 60 to 75, for an 18-year-old from 50 to 62.5, for a 17-year-old from 39.5 to 50 and for a 16-year-old from 34.5 to 40. A 15-year-old stays at 30 percent.

The easiest way to see what that means is to apply the new rates to today's amount. Since 1 July 2026 the Dutch adult minimum is 14.99 euros gross per hour. An 18-year-old currently earns at least 7.50 euros an hour; at the new rate on today's amount that would be 9.37 euros. For a 20-year-old, the same calculation goes from 11.99 to 13.12 euros. The real amounts for 2027 will be slightly higher, because the adult minimum is indexed again on 1 January. The Dutch government publishes those figures later this autumn.

Until now, students aged 18 to 20 in the Dutch work-based vocational route, known as bbl, could be paid separate, lower minimum amounts. That separate scale disappears on 1 January 2027. If a bbl student has an employment contract with you, the normal youth minimum for their age applies from then on.

The explanatory notes expect little change in sectors such as healthcare, engineering and construction, because apprentices there are often paid above the youth minimum already. If you run work placements in healthcare, check what your apprentices will earn in January anyway. A collective agreement scale that sits just above the old bbl amounts can fall below the new minimum.

Retail feels it most. The notes estimate that staff costs in Dutch retail will rise by an extra 2 to 5 percent in 2027 as a result, for an average business with its current mix of young and older staff. The same logic applies to hospitality and any employer with many students on the rota: the larger the share of young workers, the bigger the effect.

There are three things to sort out now. First, your job ads. If you state an hourly rate for young people, it has to meet the new minimum from 1 January. An ad that still shows the old rate in January promises something you are no longer allowed to pay. Why pay carries so much weight in an ad is covered in employment terms that count.

Second, your collective agreement. Around 42 percent of the 139 Dutch collective agreements the ministry examined had their own youth pay scales on 1 January 2024, and for ages 16 to 18 those scales sat clearly above the legal minimum on average. Whether they rise along with it is up to the parties to each agreement. If your scale ends up below the legal minimum, the legal minimum applies.

Third, your position against other employers. If you already pay young workers above the minimum, the notes say you face no extra cost, but the gap with the employer next door gets smaller. What still sets you apart then is how fast you respond and how easy it is to apply. How we look at that on an assignment is described in our approach.

Does the increase apply to young people already on my payroll?

Yes. The Dutch youth minimum applies to every employee aged 15 to 20, including existing staff. If an 18-year-old on your team earns the old minimum on 31 December, you must pay at least the new minimum from 1 January 2027. So update your payroll as well as your job ads, and put it on the list for the first January pay run.

When will the exact 2027 amounts be known?

The percentages are fixed in the decree. The amounts in euros depend on the adult minimum wage from 1 January 2027, which the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs announces later this autumn. Until then, work with the percentages and today's 14.99 euros, knowing that the January result will be slightly higher.

Should I change how I hire?

Not necessarily, but it is a good moment to review your mix. If you bring in many young workers through a staffing or secondment firm, their rates may rise too, because their people fall under the same minimum. How such a rate compares with someone on your own payroll is explained in RPO versus secondment. What else changes for employers in 2027 is in our article on Dutch Budget Day 2026.

SocialFind wrote this article based on the decree in the Dutch Official Gazette of 24 September 2026 and its explanatory notes, and the amounts published by the Dutch government as of 1 July 2026, checked on 16 October 2026. We recruit for employers and do not run payroll, so this is not legal or tax advice. If you would like articles like this in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.