The pay gap between men and women in the Netherlands continues to get smaller, according to new research by salary calculation website Loonwijzer and jobs site Monsterboard.

The wage gap in 2015 was around €1,660, or about 5%, the research showed. This was down from 5.8%  in 2014.

‘In some jobs, the wage gap is even smaller and in some sectors women are earning more than men,’ Loonwijzer spokeswoman Paulien Osse told broadcaster RTLZ.

For example, women working in the transport and logistics sectors earn around 1% more than men while in the construction sector their income is about equal.

Minimum wage

This is because pay rates in these sectors are around minimum wage levels, so there is little room to differentiate, Osse said. In addition, men and women working in these sectors tend to do completely different jobs.

By contrast, the pay gap is largest in sectors where traditionally many women work, such as care and education. There the pay gap is around 15%. This is largely due to the prevalence of part-time work, Osse said.

This means that men largely occupy the better paid management functions.