Female students earning less than male counterparts

However, this isn’t due to discrimination, but rather as a result in differences in the choices made by the students themselves.
New rules governing holiday jobs came into force at the start of the year.

Randstad is one of the market leaders when it comes to finding temporary jobs for students. The agency surveyed 1,000 students.

The results show that the wage gap between the sexes starts at an early age.

Almost 70% of students work for at least some of the summer vacation. In addition to this a growing number of students work during the academic year at weekends and in the evening.

On average a male student earns 2,166 euro/annum, while female students earn 1,902 euro/annum. This wage represents a differential between the sexes of 12%.

Randstad’s Jan Denys told the daily ‘Het Nieuwsblad’ that this isn’t due to sexual discrimination.

"Boys and girls get the equal pay for the same work. Being able to negotiate a better deal also isn’t a factor as wages for student jobs are rarely negotiable.”

It would appear that the difference in levels of pay is linked to the choices made by the students.

Female students tend to choice a job as a check-out operative at a supermarket or as a shop assistant.

"A job with more fixed, traditional hours, but where the pay isn’t so high”.

Male students tend to opt for jobs in factories or warehouses.

"There you are able to work late shifts and that of course pays better. Female students are much less likely to want to do that kind of work”.

• Students work to earn money. 61% of those surveyed say that their student job has nothing at all to do with their studies.

• Shops (21%), the hospitality industry (19%) en the public sector and non-profit (15%) are by far the largest employers of student labour.

• Having a family member already working somewhere is the way in which 30% of students found their student jobs. 17% of working students found employment through a temping agency and 16% through friends or acquaintances.

• The number of students that work during the academic year has risen from 54% last year to 58% now.

• Undeclared work is on the decrease with 13% of working students now doing so “in the black” compared with 18% last year.