Sector wide pay deals last year resulted in an average salary increase of 3%, the biggest rise in 12 years, national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.

People working in industry, construction and the hospitality sector got the biggest pay rises, averaging 3.5%, while those in farming, fishing, transport and logistics lagged at the bottom of the table.

The increases are largely the result of pay deals negotiated before the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the trend now is sharply downwards.

Figures from employers advisory group AWVN, for example, suggest the average rise in pay deals which were finalised last November was 1.6%, and the organisation expects further reductions this year.

Pay and conditions agreements (CAOs) in the Netherlands are usually binding across an entire sector and cover more than one year.