Two very different salary figures circulate in the same conversations — the statutory hourly minimum, and the far higher thresholds attached to highly skilled migrant sponsorship — and they get mixed up constantly. Anyone in a lower-paid role also needs to know that visa status gives an employer no exemption from the minimum.
€14.71 an hour gross from January 2026 for anyone 21 or older, rising to €14.99 from July 2026 — it's set as a single hourly rate now rather than separate monthly or weekly figures, and applies equally whether you work full-time or a few hours a week. Under 21 gets age-scaled percentages of that rate, down to roughly a third at 16. It applies to every worker in the Netherlands regardless of nationality or visa status — a work permit doesn't give an employer any exemption from it, and if you're being paid less, that's a Belastingdienst or labour inspectorate complaint, not something you have to accept. Don't confuse it with the much higher figures quoted for kennismigrant (highly skilled migrant) visas — €5,942/month for age 30+, €4,357 under 30 in 2026 — those are a separate IND sponsorship salary threshold designed so employers can't use the visa route to underpay skilled staff, not the general minimum wage.