The average hourly rate charged by freelancers in the Netherlands did not go up at all this year and remains €43, according to research by website Hoofdkraan.nl.

However, the fees charged by social media consultants has gone down, as has the pay rate for freelancer teachers, the research shows. The market for freelancer writers and translators has also become more difficult.

The website bases its claim on 15,000 bids for work offered via its online plaform. The results indicate that marketing and communications experts are now charging rates of €43 an hour, compared with €46 a year ago. The biggest drop is among social media specialists. Their average fee is now €38 an hour, compared with €54 in 2014.

Freelance teachers are now offering their services for just €33 an hour, Hoofdkraan said. This is below the fee charged by freelance secretaries and bloggers and less than half of that of a legal advisor, who asks for an average €73 an hour.

The research also shows that Groningen is the best place to be a freelancer – fees there have risen 23% since 2014. Rotterdammers are the best paid in the four big cities, with average charges of €45 an hour.