Efforts to cut the salaries of interim directors in healthcare institutions appear to be paying off, Trouw reports on Wednesday.

Pay rates have been falling since 2008 and are now averaging at around €13,000 a month, compared with €16,000 per month six years ago. By contrast, the salaries of permanent executives is fairly stable at around €11,600 per month, the paper’s research shows.

In 2013, new rules were introduced pegging public sector pay levels to those of government ministers.

Trouw says it is notable that big institutions pay lower rates than small ones. For example, the VU University teaching hospital paid interim director Fred Plukker €29,000 a month in 2012 while the much smaller diagnostic centre Atal-Medial paid him €47,000.

The highest fee uncovered by Trouw was €50,000 a month paid to Leo Schoots, interim director at the Tergooi hospital for a time.