A salary benchmark in the engineering sector compares your pay and employment conditions with what similar employers in the same region and role offer. This allows you to use data to see whether your offer is competitive. It is not just about the gross salary, but about the total package that a mechanic, operator or engineer takes into account.
Many employers in the technical sector assume that their remuneration is in line with the market, but rarely check this against actual figures. In a tight labour market in particular, this difference determines whether a vacancy remains unfilled or is filled within a few weeks.
What exactly is a salary benchmark in the engineering sector?
A salary benchmarking technique is a structured comparison of pay and benefits for a specific role, region and level of experience. You compare your offer with those of your direct competitors to identify where you differ: in terms of salary, fringe benefits or visibility.
The engineering sector is a prime example of where this pays off. According to the UWV, technical and installation roles have for years been among the occupational groups with the hardest-to-fill vacancies (UWV, 2024). Anyone who relies on gut instinct when offering remuneration in such a market risks missing out on candidates without even realising why.
Important: a benchmark is not a snapshot of a single salary figure. It represents a range. Even for the same job title, there can be significant differences between companies, depending on certification, shift work and level of responsibility.
Why doesn’t the salary alone say enough about competitive terms and conditions?
This is because candidates in the technical sector rarely base their decision on salary alone. Commuting time, certainty regarding working hours, training budgets and the working atmosphere often carry just as much weight. A benchmark that looks solely at the gross salary therefore misses the bulk of the story.
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At FosFor, we regularly see from target group data that employers misjudge what their target group actually considers important. An operator will sometimes opt for predictable shifts over a few euros more per hour. You cannot glean such insights from a pay scale, but rather from research into your specific target group.
If you want to understand what conditions appeal to a particular job category, a targeted target audience analysis for blue-collar vacancies often goes beyond a generic market comparison. Salary is the starting point, not the end point.
What data do you use for a salary benchmarking method?
To produce a reliable benchmark, combine several public and internal sources. No single source provides a complete picture on its own, so you should compare figures side by side and adjust for region and level of experience.
The table below lists the most useful sources, so that you know which ones to use for what.
| Source | What it shows | Strong for |
|---|---|---|
| CBS | Wage trends and collective agreement wages by sector | Macro trends and indexation |
| UWV labour market information | Pressure and shortages by profession and region | Shortages and availability |
| Job vacancy data (own scraping/analysis) | What competitors are currently offering and charging | Current market realities |
| Collective agreement texts for the sector | Minimum scales and allowances | Lower limit and compliance |
| In-house applicant and rejection data | Where candidates drop out due to conditions | Internal bottlenecks |
The most valuable information is often found in current job vacancy data. What competitors are promising in their advert today says more about their competitive position than an average figure from last year’s report. We discuss more useful, free sources in our article on labour market data without expensive tools.
How do you adjust for region and experience?
A national average can be misleading when it comes to technical roles. Salaries in areas around industrial clusters are often higher than in regions with less competition. You should therefore always filter your data by travel distance from your location and by comparable level of experience; otherwise, you’ll be comparing apples with oranges.
Which fringe benefits are taken into account in the engineering sector?
As well as the hourly wage, shift allowances, travel allowances, training budgets and schedule certainty all determine whether your offer is competitive. In technical roles involving shift work, the allowance structure can make the difference between an average and an attractive package.
Our campaign data shows that specific, measurable conditions convert better than vague promises. “Fixed day shifts” or “full travel expenses” demonstrably attract more serious applicants than “a competitive salary”. You can read about which terms are decisive specifically for production staff in Which employment conditions do operators really consider important?.
You should therefore include at least the following elements in your benchmark:
- Shift and irregular hours allowances
- Travel expenses and travel time allowance
- Training and certification budget
- Scheduling certainty and leave arrangements
- Career progression opportunities and a permanent contract
How do you carry out a salary benchmark, step by step?
You can create a useful benchmark in five steps, from defining the function to providing concrete recommendations for improvement. This prevents you from collecting a mountain of data without it leading to a decision.
- Define the function ‘sharp’. Specify the level, the qualifications and the responsibilities involved. A “technician” cannot be defined in isolation from their context.
- Gather sources. Combine CBS and UWV data with up-to-date job adverts from direct competitors in your region.
- Correct and normalise. Convert everything to the same benchmark: hourly pay including fixed allowances, by experience level.
- Compare the full package. Compare your primary and secondary requirements with the market.
- Turn this into action. Decide whether you need to adjust the remuneration, the terms and conditions or the visibility of your job vacancy.
That final step is crucial. Sometimes your offering is perfectly fine, but it doesn’t reach the right people. In that case, the solution lies in campaigns and positioning, not in a higher salary. You can read about how we take a data-driven approach to this on our page about our data-driven approach.
For a more comprehensive analysis of wage trends and shortages, the publicly available figures from the CBS, the labour market information from the UWV and the forecasts from the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) good starting points.
What do you do if your benchmark shows that you’re not competitive?
If you’re earning below market rates, you’ve broadly speaking got three options: increase your pay, improve your fringe benefits, or enhance your employer’s reputation and reach. Which option yields the best results depends on exactly where the problem lies.
Not every problem can be solved with money. When candidates do apply but drop out during the process, the cause often lies elsewhere. In such cases, gaining an understanding of the Causes of drop-off in the candidate journey More than just a pay rise. Data points you in the right direction.
Would you like to see how this approach works in practice for technical and maritime roles? Then take a look at our measurable recruitment results or our current technical vacancies.
Frequently asked questions about salary benchmarking in the engineering sector
How much does it cost to carry out a technical salary benchmark?
You can create a basic benchmark yourself using free sources such as data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) and collective labour agreements, but this takes time and requires careful interpretation. For a more in-depth analysis using up-to-date vacancy data and target group research, you’ll usually need to engage a specialist firm. The exact cost depends on the number of roles and the level of detail required.
How often should you update a salary benchmark?
At least once a year, and more frequently for hard-to-fill technical roles. Salaries and allowances in the technical sector are influenced by collective agreement terms and labour market tightness, which can change from year to year. If a vacancy has been open for some time without being filled, it is advisable to carry out an interim check of the latest vacancy data.
Is salary the most important factor for technical staff?
Salary is important, but rarely the deciding factor on its own. Target audience data shows that certainty of working hours, commute time, training budget and working atmosphere often carry at least as much weight. A competitive overall package is what determines the choice, not just the hourly wage.
Why are my vacancies still open even though my salary is in line with the market?
Often, the problem lies not with the remuneration, but with reach or positioning. If your job offer does not reach the right target audience or your employer brand story fails to convince, the vacancy will remain unfilled despite a good salary. A benchmark of your visibility and message will reveal that bottleneck.
Which regions have the biggest shortages in the engineering sector?
Shortages are concentrated around industrial and maritime clusters, but competition is fierce nationwide for installation and maintenance roles (UWV, 2024). To establish your benchmark, calculate the labour market pressure indicator published by the UWV for each region and occupation, so that you can gauge how fierce the competition for candidates is in your area.
Are you unsure whether your terms and conditions are competitive enough for the roles you’re looking to fill? Book a no-obligation strategy meeting and use data to identify where you can make adjustments to speed up the process.