Workers Could Lose Up to 500 Euros a Month Under Jetten Cabinet Plans

The Jetten cabinet, formed by D66, VVD and CDA and sworn in on 23 February 2026, has put forward a package of social security reforms that trade union CNV says will hit workers across multiple life events: job loss, disability and pregnancy. CNV has published several analyses breaking down the financial impact in concrete terms.

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What the cabinet is planning

The coalition agreement "Aan de slag" contains three key changes to the Dutch social safety net. First, the maximum daily wage (maximumdagloon), currently €6,617 gross per month, will be lowered by 20 percent from 2029. Second, the duration of unemployment benefit (WW) will be halved from 24 to 12 months, effective from 2028. Third, the IVA benefit, which provides higher support for people who are permanently and fully disabled, will be abolished for new claimants from January 2029.

Disability: up to 500 euros a month less

CNV calculates that workers who become partially or fully disabled under the new rules will receive up to 40 percent less income than they earned while employed. For someone earning €6,000 gross per month who becomes partially disabled and enters the WIA, the loss due to the lower daily wage cap alone amounts to €500 per month. This comes on top of the income drop of around €1,800 that already occurs when someone transitions into the WIA under the current system. Around 65,000 people are affected by this element of the plans.

People who become permanently and fully disabled face an additional hit: the abolition of the IVA benefit reduces their entitlement by a further €270 gross per month, as their benefit will drop from 75 to 70 percent of their last earned income. Around 28,000 people enter the IVA each year.

Unemployment: up to 66,000 euros lost over two years

For those who lose their job and need to claim WW, the combined impact of the shorter duration and the lower daily wage cap is stark. Someone earning at or above the maximum daily wage who is unemployed for two years would currently receive €111,834 in benefits. Under the new rules they would receive a maximum of €45,528, a difference of more than €66,000. CNV notes that even for middle and lower incomes, the loss from the shorter duration alone typically amounts to between €10,000 and €50,000.

The cabinet is also making WW harder to build up. Under the new rules, a worker would need to have worked continuously for 24 years to qualify for a full year of WW.

CNV chairperson Piet Fortuin said older workers are particularly at risk, as they often face age discrimination when looking for work and would reach the end of their WW entitlement much sooner, falling back on bijstand (social assistance) or being forced to draw down on savings or home equity.

The premium stays the same

CNV's central objection is not only the scale of the cuts but the fact that workers will continue to pay the same WW premiums for significantly lower and shorter entitlements. "This is an unprecedented large grab from workers' rights," Fortuin said. "The WW pot is effectively being used for other purposes."

The cabinet has presented the measures as necessary to make the labour market more dynamic and social security sustainable for future generations. It is a minority cabinet and will need support from opposition parties to pass the legislation, meaning none of the plans are final yet.