Ynflaasje trof de earmen it hurdst. De riken krigen it earst werom.
May 15, 2026 · Frisian News
New data shows that inflation between 2022 and 2024 widened the gap between rich and poor households across Europe. Wealthier families recovered purchasing power through asset gains and wage growth, while lower-income households remain squeezed on groceries and rent.
FryskIn supermarktmeiwurkster yn Amsterdam keapet hjoed minder aaien as yn 2021, al is de offisjele ynflaasje 'ôfkoele'. Har ferhierder ferheege it hier twa kear. Har lean stiig 4 prosint. In accountant út Rotterdam seach syn portefúlje fan belaazjingen yn deselde perioade mei 18 prosint groeie, syn salaris sprong 6 prosint omheech, en syn hypoteek bleaun fêst op 1,8 prosint fan jierren lyn. Dizze kleau tusken húshâldings waard skerp breder yn Nederlân, Belgje en Dútslân fan 2022 oant 2024, neffens ûndersyk fan it Ynstitút foar Arbeidsmerkûndersyk dat dizze wike publisearre waard.
Offisjele statistiken fertroebelen it ferhaal. Sintrale banken kundigen om 'e midden fan 2024 hinne oan dat se de ynflaasje de baas wurden wiene, en de haadsifers seagen der goed út. Mar dy sifers ferbergje wat ûnderoan en bopeaan de ynkommensladder barde. Earme húshâldings bestegen 28 oant 35 prosint fan har budzjet oan iten en enerzjy. Doe't dy prizen omheech sketten, snieden sy oare útjeften yn om te oerlibjen. Fiedselbanken meldden yn 2023 40 prosint mear besikers as yn 2019. Rike húshâldings bestegen 8 oant 12 prosint oan deselde needsaaklikheden. Sy koene de skôk opfange en sels mear útjaan oan restaurants en fakânsjes doe't it fertrouwen weromkaam.
Leangroei fertelt in dúdliker ferhaal oer wa terrein ferlear. Wurknimmers yn logistyk, detailhannel en soarchberoppen seagen fan 2022 oant 2024 gemiddeld jierliks ferhegings fan 2 oant 3,5 prosint. Technysk personiel, managers en professionals yn finânsjes hellen 5 oant 7 prosint it jier. Sektoaren mei legere leanen hiene de skerpe personieltekorten, mar de minste ûnderhannelingskrêft mei wurkjouwers. In logistyk sjoffeur út Hamburg fertelde ús dat syn lean per oere yn trije jier mei 40 sint stiig. Syn hier gie 250 euro de moanne omheech. Hy wurket no mear oeren as foar de ynflaasjepyk.
Eigners fan aktiva bouwen fermogen op, wylst dyjingen dy't inkeld fan lean libben wetter trapen. In beskieden oandieleportefúlje of fêst guod mei in wearde fan 150.000 euro begjin 2022 stiig nei 177.000 euro ein 2024 foar in soad húshâldings. Dy winst allinne al oerstiig it jierlikse netto-ynkommen fan in supermarktmeiwurkster. De measte earme húshâldings ha gjin oandielen en min eigen guod. Yn lannen dêr't hierprizen ynflaasje folgje, streekten ferhierders leanwinsten hast fuortendaliks yn. De fermogenkonsintraasje dy't ynflaasje nei alle gedachten bedrige, kaam foar it boppeste desyl nea ta útdrukking. Foar elkenien oars spande it oan.
Sintrale banken snieden de rintetariven fanôf ein 2024, mar sparjild en pensjoenen fan âlderen mei legere ynkommens bleaunen útholle. Immen dy't libbet fan in fêst pensjoen fan 1.200 euro de moanne ferlear echte keapkrêft dy't leannivellearring nea werombrocht. Oerheidsútjeften foar sosjale feiligens hiene yn de measte lannen amper gelyk pas mei ynflaasje. De earmen pasten oan troch minder te keapjen en neat te sparjen. Dy gewoante bliuwt sitten, ek no't prizen stabilisearje. Fertrouwen, ienris brutsen, herstelt him net gau.
A grocery worker in Amsterdam buys fewer eggs today than she did in 2021, though official inflation has "cooled." Her landlord raised rent twice. Her wages went up 4 percent. Meanwhile, a Rotterdam accountant's investment portfolio climbed 18 percent in the same period, his salary jumped 6 percent, and his mortgage stayed locked at 1.8 percent from years back. This gap between households widened sharply across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany from 2022 through 2024, according to research from the Institute for Labor Market Studies released this week.
Official statistics flattened the story. Central banks announced victory over inflation around mid-2024, and headline numbers looked good. But those numbers hide what happened at the bottom and top of the income ladder. Poor households spent 28 to 35 percent of their budget on food and energy. When those prices spiked, they cut other spending to survive. Food banks reported 40 percent more visitors in 2023 than in 2019. Rich households spent 8 to 12 percent on the same necessities. They could absorb the shock, even spend more on restaurants and holidays as confidence returned.
Wage growth tells a cleaner story about who lost ground. Workers in logistics, retail, and care jobs saw average raises of 2 to 3.5 percent annually from 2022 to 2024. Technical staff, managers, and professionals in finance pulled in 5 to 7 percent yearly. Lower-wage sectors faced the sharpest skills shortages but had the least bargaining power with employers. One logistics driver in Hamburg told us his hourly rate rose 40 cents in three years. His rent went up 250 euros a month. He works more hours now than before the inflation spike.
Asset owners built wealth while wage earners treaded water. A modest stock or real estate portfolio worth 150,000 euros in early 2022 rose to 177,000 euros by late 2024 for many households. That gain alone exceeded the annual net income of a supermarket cashier. Most poor households own no stocks and little property. In countries where rents track inflation, landlords captured wage gains almost instantly. The wealth concentration that inflation supposedly threatened never materialized for the top decile. It tightened for everyone else.
Central banks did cut rates starting late 2024, but savings and pensions for lower-income retirees stayed eroded. A person living on a fixed pension of 1,200 euros monthly lost real buying power that wage indexing never recovered. Governments' social spending barely kept pace with inflation in most countries. The poor adapted by buying less and saving nothing. That habit stays even as prices stabilize. Trust, once broken, does not mend fast.
Published May 15, 2026 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân