More couples in the Netherlands are both working part time

The number of Dutch couples in which both partners work part-time has doubled in the last 10 years, figures from national statistics agency CBS have shown. According to employers’ organisation VNO-NCW, more people are working part-time because of the tax burden on middle incomes, which makes working extra hours less financially worthwhile. More people work part-time in the Netherlands than anywhere else in Europe, although it has the highest net labour participation rate, putting the number of hours worked above the European average. Labour economist Ronald Dekker said that both partners putting in the same number of hours is a shift away from the “one and a half salary model” in which one partner works full-time and the other part-time.