Spending power rose in the Netherlands last year for the first time in four years, the central statistics office CBS said on Monday.

The average increase was 1.5%, with people in work seeing disposable income rise 2.7%.

This was mainly due to the lowering of pension premiums, the CBS said. Civil servants in particular saw disposable income increase 3.7% despite low wage rises.

The self-employed and pensioners saw hardly any improvement in spending power, with a rise of 9.3% and 0.4% respectively.

People on invalidity benefit saw their disposable income rise 0.9% on average, and those receiving welfare benefits had a 1.8% rise in spending power, the CBS said.

The last time spending power rose was in 2009.