Netherlands to enforce EU gender‑pay transparency rules from 2027

The European Union’s gender‑pay transparency directive, which must be transposed into national law by 7 June 2026, is being implemented in the Netherlands with a draft law now before parliament. The proposal sets a deadline of 1 January 2027 for the rules to take effect.

Employers will be required to publish pay‑gap data: companies with at least 150 employees must report annually from the 2027 calendar year, with larger firms (250+ workers) filing each year and mid‑size firms (100‑249) every three years. The law also bans asking job applicants about their previous salary and gives every employee the right to request their own pay level and the average pay for their gender group.

A recent SD Worx survey of 6,000 HR managers and 16,500 workers in 16 European countries found only 34 % of employees understood the upcoming rules, compared with 68 % of employers. While 62 % of firms said they were ready for full compliance, 10 % had taken no steps yet. Dutch workers are relatively positive about fairness, with 57 % believing they are paid fairly, but overall European confidence remains low.

The Dutch government plans to make reported figures partially public via a central website, allowing cross‑company and sector comparisons, and to involve works councils in monitoring without making them jointly responsible for the reports.