As enforcement tightens and responsibility shifts, organizations involved in employing temporary workers in the Netherlands (Dutch temporary staffing) are facing increased exposure to claims, penalties and reputational damage if equal pay is not correctly calculated and documented.
In 2026, the regulatory landscape for temporary staffing agencies in the Netherlands experienced a significant shift. A new collective labour agreement for temporary workers introduces stricter requirements around equal pay (the principle of ‘gelijkwaardige beloning’), with agencies needing to calculate, substantiate and document every element associated with the payroll process. Far beyond a technical update, this agreement is a structural shift in how equal pay compliance must be organized, evidenced and defended.
Many businesses may underestimate the operational impact of these changes. Equal pay will no longer be as simple as applying a scale or relying on basic information from a hirer. Employers must demonstrate how they determined pay levels, how they treat allowances and bonuses, and how they reconcile differences between roles, sectors, and collective agreements. Inadequate documentation or assumptions can result in claims, penalties, and reputational damage. Compliance has thus moved from the back end to a daily operational concern impacting HR, payroll, finance, and broader client relationships. This applies equally to Dutch temporary staffing agencies and to international organizations that temporarily assign employees to clients in the Netherlands.
This shift is not restricted to the Netherlands, with impact being felt beyond its borders. While its 2026 collective labour agreement for temporary workers puts the region ahead of the curve in how equal pay principles are interpreted and enforced in practice, under the EU Pay Transparency Directive, all Member States must introduce enforceable rules on equal pay and transparency. This means that all employers across Europe will need to clean up and clarify their pay structures, even though collective agreements, definitions and systems will differ by country.
For agencies operating in the Netherlands, 2026 is a pressure point with stricter rules, increased enforcement and a heavier burden of proof exposing gaps that have been traditionally manageable in processes, systems and expertise.
Here are the nine most significant risks in 2026 and how you can mitigate them.
1. Hirers without a collective agreement
When a hirer does not operate under a collective agreement, equal pay must be determined without a clear reference framework. Dutch temporary staffing agencies must:
- establish the content of the role,
- define market‑based remuneration,
- and legally substantiate the outcome.
Making assumptions can become risky, and role interpretation or incomplete market data can quickly lead to misclassification and challenges with proper payroll processing.
2. Incomplete job descriptions
While generic job titles without clear descriptions are common, moving forward they need to be stated clearly and transparently. Equal pay depends on:
- what a worker actually does,
- the level of responsibility involved,
- and how this maps to a pay scale.
Without this clarity, incorrect grading becomes almost inevitable. Mapping roles to collective agreement frameworks and market data is crucial.
3. Multiple collective agreements across clients
Businesses operating across sectors must have the ability to navigate multiple collective agreements, each with its own set of complex rules. For every assignment, the business must have clear justification as to:
- which agreement applies,
- how pay components were compared,
- and why a particular scale was selected.
Without a structured assessment and transparent calculation model, administrative and legal risk can increase rapidly. It is best to conduct a collective labor agreement assessment for each situation and compare wages, allowances, and reimbursements in a transparent calculation model.
4. Irregular hours and shift allowances
Shift work introduces new levels of complexity through rotating schedules and varying percentages. Moving forward, allowances must be calculated accurately per hour and per shift.
Manual processing increases the risk of errors, while even small mistakes can lead to structural underpayment or overpayment. As scrutiny increases, this becomes a systems issue rather than an administrative detail.
The right systems can automatically calculate all allowances, followed by an HR check. But if agencies want to implement these systems themselves, it requires a significant investment.
5. Variable pay such as bonuses
Where permanent employees receive bonuses or commissions, agencies must determine whether these payments fall under equal pay rules with the critical question being whether they are structural.
Misinterpreting this can result in incorrect payroll. Correct classification and documentation require specialist knowledge that many agencies do not have in‑house.
6. Indexation and periodic increases
As a direct influence on equal pay, indexation and step increases are not always communicated on time by hirers. Delays can result in compliance issues. Risks for Dutch temporary staffing agencies:
- no control over periodic adjustments at all hirers,
- retroactive corrections,
- and margin erosion due to late invoicing.
Without proactive monitoring of collective agreement changes, businesses may struggle to keep pay aligned.
7. International pay structures
International organizations often use foreign currencies, equity‑based rewards or global grading frameworks. To comply with Dutch rules, these components must be translated into a legally valid Dutch remuneration basis.
Common pitfalls:
- errors in valuation,
- currency conversion,
- or job alignment.
This is one of the most complex topics in the new regulations, as it combines multiple criteria. Errors in valuation, currency conversion or job alignment are common and difficult to detect without specialist oversight.
8. Language and communication barriers
International organizations active on the Dutch market may operate HR and payroll teams that do not speak Dutch. Complex Dutch labour laws and collective agreements are not easily understood without translation and guidance.
Agencies must be able to document and explain equal pay in a language understood by both hirer and worker. Without this, miscommunication can often lead to unnecessary errors.
9. Audits and claims
As rules tighten, the burden of proof is set to increase. The position of temporary workers is strengthened, while enforcement is expected to intensify in the run‑up to further legislation after 2026.
Without a complete, audit‑ready dossier, agencies face real exposure to claims, fines and reputational damage.
Increased pressure in 2026
These risks listed above point to three realities:
- Rules are more complex, which increases the likelihood of errors.
- Responsibility sits with the agency.
- Administrative burden and workload is rising.
In practice, businesses often discover too late that their processes were built for a simpler regulatory reality. Under tightening Dutch equal pay rules, compliance in 2026 depends on systems, documentation and governance rather than intent alone.
For many, the real risk is not a lack of intent, but the quiet accumulation of small uncertainties that only rise to the surface when an audit or claim arrives.
Partnership and support with the new obligations
For many organizations, the new requirements are not difficult because of a lack of intent, but because of practical constraints. Time is limited, specialist knowledge is fragmented and building compliant structures in‑house often demands investments in systems, certifications and ongoing oversight that are hard to justify.
Payrollminds The FlexOffice supports organizations by taking ownership of the administrative and compliance complexity that sits behind equal pay. Rather than adding another tool or advisory layer, The FlexOffice embeds the processes required to assess collective agreements, compare functions, monitor indexation and maintain audit‑ready documentation. This also includes multilingual support, ensuring that rules, calculations and decisions are understood and applied consistently across the board.
Our services include:
- Job comparisons and collective labor agreement assessments
- Market benchmarks
- Hirer declarations
- Audit-proof file creation (NEN 4400-1 certified)
- Automatic monitoring of indexations
- Multilingual documentation and support
- HR control of allowances and shift work
The advantages for organizations involved in Dutch temporary staffing:
- Immediately fully compliant with the new laws and regulations.
- Don’t manage complicated, time-consuming, and costly processes yourself.
- No investment in new administrative software.
- No knowledge of collective labor agreements or laws and regulations required.
Want to get your back office in order and ensure compliance? With Payrollminds The FlexOffice, it’s easier than you think. Download the brochure (Dutch only) and schedule a consultation with one of our experts.
Brochure (Dutch only)
The FlexOffice
Discover exactly what is changing, what is expected of Dutch temporary staffing agencies, and how Payrollminds The FlexOffice can help.
